


I dig you so much !

by Lilmond



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Archaeology, F/F, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-05-02 20:02:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 37,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14552493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilmond/pseuds/Lilmond
Summary: In the quiet town of Purgatory, a bartender and history buff meets a red-headed newcomer. Will they fall in love at some point ? This would be a really unexpected twist of fate !





	1. A bold digger enters the saloon.

  
  
  
Nicole Haught parked her car, and took her time to look around her while she left her seat and closed the door, putting on her stetson hat. Always paying attention to details most people weren't inclined to notice, she read carefully the markings in big letters on the upper fronts of the two brick buildings she was facing. On the one on the left was written "1925 W. G. Liesemer", on the other one it was "1925 J. V. Berscht". The two-story buildings were identical, _sister buildings like sister ships still moored at the same pier_ , she thought. The letters of the two different names were from the same typeface. Same height, same display.  
  
"Well I guess you were friends." she whispered.  
  
Above the wooden doors of the Liesemer building's ground floor, she could see another sign : Shorty's Saloon, painted on a wood panel. She realized that whoever had painted it had taken care to match the colors and the letters to the older markings on the wall. There were people in there that cared about harmony.  
  
One of the doors was propped open with a chair. This early in the day, it was a clear indication that the bar was still in its morning prepping. However, Nicole knew that it was usually a good time to wander into such businesses, when you wanted to have a serious talk with the landlord, without being constantly interrupted by drunken louts. She was aware that in such a town as Purgatory, all the residents knew since childhood that they weren't supposed to walk into the bar as long as the doors were open. One of those seemingly absurd rules that were so interesting about the ways of a society. She also knew that ignoring purposely such rules while being respectful and direct in her behavior would give her an edge over the people she would meet inside.  
  
_But of course, a saloon landlord knows a great deal about gaining the upper hand over people, too_ , she thought.  
  
The tall, athletic woman used the car window as a makeshift mirror to check her appearance, and touched lightly the back of her head under her hat. After the short drive, her red hair was still in a perfect braid. With long strides, she walked to Shorty's entrance.  
  
Nicole slipped around the chair, and went through a small entryway with another set of double doors. Reaching the inside of the saloon, she stopped for a moment, leaning on the door frame, already taking her hat off, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dim light. Some music was playing, a slow song. Wooden furniture, wooden walls, decorated with framed sepia photographs and pre-industrial farming equipment, horse collars, a lasso… an Old West-themed bar. The place was clean, and equipped with two things that Nicole liked in a watering hole : a juke-box, and a pool table. _Perhaps a nine on the Dive Bar scale, but the expertizing committee will still have to see the toilets to reach its definitive decision._ No one greeted her, but some movement behind the counter caught her eye.  
  
She was not prepared to see the young woman. Because of the name of the bar, she had formed in her mind, for the barkeep, the preconception of a diminutive man, bow-legged and big-bellied, with the face of a heavy drinker, like an embarrassing, aging relative in a wedding movie. Instead she was now beholding a somewhat short, yet lithe girl, with light brown hair, who was wiping clean the beer taps with a rag.  
  
A somewhat beautiful girl.  
  
Nicole decided to make her presence known. "Hello," she said, going down the short stairs leading to the main room, "I… I have been meaning to introduce myself, I'm Nicole, Nicole Haught." The woman behind the counter looked up at her. She didn't do it the way the other citizens of Purgatory had done it those last few days. They had greeted her with a distant expression, the this-one-in-new-around-here look. But the barkeeper was sending in her direction something strikingly different : a small wave, a huge smile and the direct gaze of sparkling, cheerful hazel eyes that made Nicole's heart skip a beat.  
  
A more than somewhat beautiful girl.  
  
"Hello ! I'm Waverly. Waverly Earp."  
  
Nicole stepped closer, reaching her hand over the counter. They shook hands. Nicole noticed the young barmaid's firm, yet friendly grip. When those thin fingers left her hand, she grasped them for one more second, reluctant to let go of the contact.  
  
"Well, I'm here in Purgatory as the site manager of an archaeological excavation," the tall redhead began, placing her hat carefully on the counter. "A place used by ancient Blackfoot people has been found not very far from here, and we will be searching the soil hoping to find traces or objects, and learn more about the way they were living, what they…"  
  
"Nicole ! It's Nicole you said, isn't it ? I know what an archeological excavation is done for. I'm very interested in all things historical. Please tell me what I can do to help you."  
  
A more than somewhat straightforward girl, too.  
  
She was already back to her work, making sure the taps were spotless, rubbing the piece of cloth all over the chromed parts until they were reflecting every light in the room. Her sleeveless top allowed Nicole to see the toned arms of a sportsperson.  
  
"Okay, Waverly, this place is open most of the time, and very easy to find in Purgatory. You serve food and drinks… Our excavation is not started yet, but we will be working there for the whole summer, and we are sort of a school for young archaeologists, like a two or three weeks internship for anthropology and archaeology students of the Big City University, but also for students coming from other, more distant places, and there is also a permanent team of professionals. Some of them will begin to arrive in the very next days, and I'll also be waiting for various trucks coming with machines, modular buildings, containers, aaand…"  
  
… and the young bartender stepped away from the counter, turning her back to Nicole, nodding to mean that she was still listening. But Nicole was unable to speak for the time being. The girl had very long hair, reaching the small of her back, and she wore cut-off denim shorts revealing wonderful legs. She was now bending over in front of a stainless steel box under another part of the counter. Her figure was so easy on Nicole's eyes that she knew instinctively she must close her eyelids, close her mouth - realizing it had been gaping open for a few seconds - and initiate an emergency reboot of her brain. When she dared to look again, she was startled to find the bartender back right in front of her, holding the rack of a glass washer full of clean pint glasses, gazing at her intently, waiting for Nicole to finish her sentence.  
  
"Well," she finally managed to say, "I'm looking for a place I can use as a rendezvous, because the excavation site is really out in the sticks."  
  
"And I thought this place was out in the sticks already !" the bartender quipped playfully, arranging the glasses.  
  
"There will be students and others coming and going, and I can't neither spend my entire time waiting for them on Main Road, nor simply explain our exact location, some will get lost, some will show up with vehicles that can't reach the site… And I can't be sure to have always good phone signal. I suppose it can be packed here on certain evenings, but during the day, when newcomers would arrive, your bar could be a place to wait for me." _And I've got the feeling it could be delightful for me to be waiting for them, if I ever happen to be here first_ , she thought, keeping this last opinion to herself.  
  
"You have to know I'm not the landlady, landlord's name is Shorty, hence Shorty's Saloon," Waverly explained, suddenly taking back her piece of cloth to wipe energetically the handle of one of the taps, as if she had spotted a stain on it. "He will probably be here a little later if you really want to talk to him, Nicole, but you're basically saying you will be sending us new customers, am I right ? That's OK, of course, and I might add that it'll be a pleasure to help you." She looked again straight at Nicole, with this luminous smile. _They should put a warning_ , Nicole mused, noticing a hint of green in those eyes. _Caution, wet floor for your heart !_  
  
The fascinating Purgatorian was now struggling with another tap handle that seemed to be a bit loose, and in need of some minor repair. While trying to put it back into the right position, she was rubbing it squeaky clean like the rest of the system.  
  
"Well, that's great, Waverly. I'm looking forward to see you again in a near future, then," Nicole said with a big smile, testing the waters. "I'll give you my card, so you can contact me…" she left deliberately her sentence floating a bit in the air before concluding : "… whenever you stumble upon lost archaeologists !"  
  
"Will do, will do," the younger woman answered, still fiddling with the faulty tap handle. "And don't worry, I will tell everybody working here about you and your lost archaeologists," she added with a charming giggle. "Will you open the excavation to the public, perhaps for special visiting days ? I'm sure a lot of people would like to learn more about the past of the First Nations in the area. I, for sure, would like to learn more. Do you know if it's a truly ancient site ? Were the Niitsitapi already using horses ? What is the site like ?"  
  
"Wait ! You know the real name of the Blackfoot people is Niitsitapi ?" Nicole interjected.  
  
A more than somewhat educated girl, also. And a smart one, too : she had not taken the bait about a more personal contact, reminding her instead that they were both parts of their respective workforces, and deflecting the conversation away from flirting undertones. _She can get the upper hand over me, even if she's not bow-legged at all_ , Nicole realized.  
  
"I told you I'm really interested in history," the bartender said. "And in archaeology too," she added with a wink.  
  
_Did she wink ? Yes she just did. Interested in archaeologists ? Interested in this archaeologist ?_ Was she flirting ? Or only being nice and carefree ? It took Nicole a few seconds to resume her thoughts, again. Her brain was having hiccups in this young woman's proximity.  
  
"We don't know much about the site yet," Nicole answered. "And I'm not the person who knows best about it. I'm here to manage the material aspect of the dig, I mean, the excavation. I'm very excited about what we can learn here, of course, but we have a scientific director, Professor Lucado, who is in charge of the anthropological research. She's the one you would have to ask. But I promise I'll tell you all I can learn about the place."  
  
She was ready to use any pretext to talk again to this intriguing woman. And if she had a genuine interest in archaeology, Nicole was the right person at the right time, wasn't she ?  
  
"And as far as I know, we didn't plan any special days for visits for the public. It won't be my decision, but I think your idea is a very good one, though…" Nicole said.  
  
The young woman in front of her smiled and tilted her head, moving all her hair on her left shoulder, then yanking the tap handle again with a concerned expression. Nicole was wondering, suddenly, how it would feel to stroke this hair with her hand. _Just for a second, in the interest of science !_  
  
She couldn't stay much longer. Today was Big Drop Day.  
  
She had been in town for two full days already, getting acquainted with the area without much to do. The first day, she had spent a few hours walking around the site, getting a good look at the stretch of land before the beginning of the excavation. Hills with steep slopes and scattered evergreens, above the typical Albertan bleak plain, barren except for a few groves. Thanks to a rainy weather, the slopes had proven to be quite slippery, and the lower ground to be quite swampy. While she was driving back to Purgatory, tired, with wet and dirty clothes, she had decided to focus on indoor activities for her second day, like adjusting the layout of the future camp according to her personal survey of the place. And washing her clothes at the launderette.  
  
Early this morning, on her third day, she had woken up in her sleeping bag, on her thin mattress, in an almost empty room in the small community center where she slept since her arrival, as a transitory solution as long as the camp wasn't ready. She had showered in the sport facilities of Purgatory High, about one kilometer away, after a jog on the school's tartan tracks. Nicole had made arrangements with the city council several weeks in advance, and had met on her arrival an elderly councillor awaiting her with a set of keys, a welcoming smile, and views to share on the state of the town, the state of society, the state of the state, and a few more topics.  
  
Today was the day several modular buildings were scheduled to be delivered and installed. Dormitories, ablution blocks, portable offices, a power center, a canteen, tool sheds. She had to be present to meet the convoy, observe the installation, and make sure everything would be ready for the following steps. Of course it wouldn't.  
  
During her morning run, pondering over the time she would probably spend in her car, waiting for trucks and cranes, she had noted on her mental to-do list that she had to find some coffee on her way.  
  
"Can I get a cappuccino to go ?" Nicole asked, looking for a reason to linger some more in the saloon.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, we're not actually open yet, so the coffee machine is not in working order, and…"  
  
"Oh, my bad !" Nicole said, pretending she had not been aware. "Perhaps later, then. And I could buy you one too ! How about tonight ?" she went on, feeling bold.  
  
Waverly finally stopped trying to fix the defective beer tap, and looked at the taller young woman, with a confused smile. "I have plans for tonight. Yeah, I'm a planner. I'm in a relationship… with a boy… man !" she blurted.  
  
"A boy-man ? Yeah, I've been there." Nicole said with a cheeky grin. "It's the worst. Okay, well, some other time ! I mean it !" she added, taking back her stetson from the counter, and leaving.  
  
The young bartender watched her walk out of the bar, putting on her white hat with a precise gesture.  
  
Then, arranging once again her light brown hair, she lowered her eyes to the counter and picked the business card left on the wooden surface. "Nicole Haught…" she read. "Of course…"  
  
  
  
In the street, squinting against the sun, Nicole got slowly back into her station wagon, shaking her head. Asking for a date after less than five minutes, how sensible ! _Some other time ! I mean it !_ What a ridiculous exit !  
  
She drove two blocks from Shorty's, where she knew she would find an espresso bar. Waiting for her order to be ready, she was still brooding over her lack of tact in the saloon.  
  
This Waverly Earp was young, very pretty, and worked in a bar. Obviously, a lot of customers would come on to her, and obviously she was used to brushing them off. She was also obviously straight. _Yeah, Haught, did you know ? Fun fact : many people are straight. Usually, they won't tell you about it right away, though. First they will see if they can trust you._  
  
Furthermore, such outright flirtation was not very professional. To ensure that the archaeological camp could run smoothly, she had to foster as much goodwill as possible among locals. So many things could go awry. She had seldom seen an excavation run for several weeks without a string of accidents, conflicts, and calamities, big or small. Her job was to anticipate those, or find solutions when they would arise. She needed all the solidarity and the potential help she could muster.  
  
She must not alienate people with unwelcome attentions. _But what can a girl do when she sees something she likes ? Was I supposed to wait ? No !_ At least the brunette had not seemed shocked, she had not reacted like she was offended. Hope. But she had clearly picked up on her intentions, though, and had chosen to mention the boy-man. Un-hope.  
  
After paying for her coffee, on her way back to her car, Nicole allowed herself to let out a sigh of self-pity, then decided to focus on the task at hand. It was going to be a long day. _Come on, Haught, you can substitute work for a dating life. It's been quite effective since… let me see…_  
  
As Nicole was gloomily trying to remember the last time she had lived something she could genuinely call romance, she started the car, and got out of her parking space on reverse. Her state of mind was making her driving a bit jerky, and she heard her tool boxes jingle in the back of her car.  
  
She recollected herself, and headed out of Purgatory, towards the mountains.  



	2. Hop, bananas and grapes.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly wakes up, and has a lot to do. She reflects about a few people she knows, and also about a stranger she just met.

Waverly woke up with a start. The sun was bright outside, streaming in through the window of her chamber above the bar. A dream had startled her, but any memory of what was happening in it was already fading and escaping from her grasp. She left her warm bed with a wince, still dazzled by the light, and scooted almost blindly to her yoga mat. Breathing deeply, she began the first stances of her morning session.  
  
During yoga, she usually tried to avoid rehashing anything negative. But last night had been a sour one. It was a quiet evening at Shorty's, rolling by rather tediously when Chrissy Nedley had come into the bar, staying at the counter, drinking a beer. Having a chit-chat with Chrissy was in most cases a good moment, but after a while her long-time friend had glanced at her phone, texted quickly, and told her that Stephanie, Rachel and Sonia were going their way. Stephanie and her clique were always doing the same act since high school : they came to see people only to brag and entertain themselves by being casually insulting.  
  
When they did arrive a few minutes later, the conversation had focused rapidly about Steph getting engaged, and the inevitable revelries that were to ensue.  
  
Stretching on her mat, Waverly recalled the remark a tipsy Sonia had made, speaking to Chrissy. "You and Waverly, you two are useful, she can give us free drinks, and then if one of your father's deputies stops us on the road, you can get us out with just a slap on the wrist !" And all of them had laughed. A little too loud, a little too long. Because it was the truth. Because it was exactly what the three young women expected from a bartender and the daughter of Purgatory's sheriff. And Waverly knew that being seen as a way to get out of trouble with the sheriff's office was something Chrissy didn't like.  
  
But Chrissy had answered :  
"Well, first of all, you'll have to get a free drink from Waverly. She's been raised by Gus and Curtis, you know…"  
  
Each time Stephanie was around, Chrissy was under her spell, and teamed up with her. Waverly was quite aware that Gus and Curtis were not the most affluent couple of Purgatory. To say the least. But they were living honestly, and had not hesitated to provide for Wynonna and Waverly, even if that meant a real sacrifice for them.  
  
Even during her sister's worst years, even in their angriest moments, they had never even hinted at any regret for taking them both into custody. After this terrible night when a twelve years old Wynonna and her, only six years old, had seen the death of both their father and their big sister Willa, a lot of people had been ready to help and to express sympathy. But as Wynonna's behavior deteriorated rapidly, those persons' initial compassion had become wariness, and then wariness had become contempt. Waverly didn't want to think about what Wynonna's destiny would have been without an unwavering support from Gus and Curtis.  
  
Last night, instead of giving those so-called friends a piece of her mind, Waverly had simply asked Shorty to serve them the next drinks (and make them pay), and had made herself busy elsewhere for as long as the four women were still in the bar. Perhaps she should have said something. But what she had to say involved a lot of profanities and generally not the kind of things she had an habit of saying out loud, _and not the kind of things a bartender should say to customers either, come to think of it_ , she mused as she got on with her exercises.  
  
Of course, much to Waverly's irritation, Stephanie's engagement had made the young bartender think about her own boyfriend. Her romance with Champ Hardy, on-again-off-again since high school, was becoming more and more a situation rather than a relationship. There was no such plan as a marriage with Champ. After closing the saloon, she had taken the stairs to her apartment on the first floor of Shorty's, rather relieved that he had not chosen to show up. _Imagine he had come to propose, like Stephanie's dumb boyfriend… ugh !_ A shiver ran down her spine. Share a house with Champ ? Perhaps bear Champ's children ? Family gatherings with his dysfunctional folks ? _And I know what it means to have problem relatives, believe me_ , she thought. _Being with Champ must be what they call a romantic entanglement._  
  
Champ was big and strong, but that was about all. _Well, he can be relaxing_ , she mused. But what she was doing with her yoga mat right now was relaxing, too, albeit very different. If her apartment was on fire, or, say, attacked by revenants, what would she grab before running for her life ? Champ or the yoga mat ? Well, the latter didn't snore, to begin with. And in such occurrences, the mat would really need help, having no legs and all… Sniggering, she stood up and ended her exercise session, going to the bathroom for a quick shower.  
  
Dressed for the day, and after her breakfast, Waverly went down to the saloon to begin with the morning routine. As usual, the previous night had ended with a thorough clean, but there were always things you saw in the morning light that you couldn't believe you had missed before.  
  
As she was wiping the taps to make them shiny like liquid silver, the one with the wobbly handle burst open, gushing foamy beer over her. By the time she reacted and shut the valve down, her top was soaked, and she had to get back upstairs to change. Shorty was a good man, and more than decent as an employer, but he had a tendency to procrastinate about maintenance issues. She kept telling him he had to fix the darn taps ! And the slanted step in the stairs to her flat, where she had once again almost stumbled on her way down this very morning. And the kitchen's extractor fan, that made noises like someone put carrots in it. And the light above the pool table, that blinked on its bad days like a low-end stroboscope.  
  
She was lucky the tap didn't blow the morning before, when the archaeologist was talking to her while she was doing the same cleaning. It would have been really, really awkward to make a first impression like she was a contestant in a wet T-shirt competition.  
  
In her apartment, she discarded her top in the laundry hamper, and went to her closet to take one of her Shorty's™ long sleeved jerseys. They were comfortable, practical, but a bit too big for her petite frame. She quickly tied up the loose fabric in her back, as usual, before going back to the saloon.  
  
Coming downstairs and going about sorting glasses under the bar, she still had the red-haired archaeologist on her mind. Nicole Haught was the name, she had pined her business card on the cork board behind the counter. She could spot it there right now, next to a few tabs from regulars and various phone numbers scribbled by Shorty on pieces of paper, bits of napkins or strips of wrapping. What was a site manager supposed to do on a excavation site ? She wondered if she was going to see her again soon, so that she could ask her about her line of work.  
  
Archaeology wasn't something Waverly knew a lot about. Her college studies about ancient civilisations and languages had put her in contact with the findings of a lot of diggings, stelae with the tales of past lives, rare or mundane objects left behind in unnumbered graves, temples, battlefields, or basements of houses destroyed by time. Archaeology was the source of a great deal of her knowledge, but she didn't really know how it was done. She had been studying things "found here" or "unearthed there", but the actual methods used by archaeologists were not clear in her mind. The action films, comics and video games with heroes jumping and running around in ruins, centuries-old traps and lurking demons were probably a bit exaggerated.  
  
The presence of a digging site near Purgatory was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about it. Nicole Haught seemed willing to give her some information, and perhaps it would be okay to ask her to see the place. Where was this site, exactly ? Perhaps the manager didn't want people to know ? Was it supposed to be a secret ? _I think she will be okay to show me the place if I ask her_ , Waverly thought.  
  
And when Haught had said that only Professor Whatshername was able to tell what was going on on the site, she had only been prudent. She was careful not to brag about things she would only guess about this Blackfoot settlement. _I'm sure she knows as much about archaeology that I know about bartending and alcoholic beverages. And who is Purgatory's flavored sake specialist ? It's Waverly Earp !_  
  
The tall young woman had left Waverly with a strange impression. She was a interesting mix of roughness and charm, like the clothes she wore, sturdy, made for working outdoors, but fitting her so well that Waverly knew the archaeologist had bought them knowing she would look good in them. Confident and flirty, this Nicole Haught wasn't coy. She was definitely asking for a date over coffee with her. And the cowboy hat ! Perhaps this was a bit too much, but some would find it alluring… Still, Waverly recalled also her attentive eyes and her honest smile. If she was a good judge of character - and she knew she was an excellent one - there was more to find in the site manager than a strong body and witty banter.  
  
Witty banter. That was one of the many things Champ lacked…  
  
"Looking at you, I had the impression you were daydreaming about Prince Charming," she heard suddenly, said by a husky voice, "but you just made that sad face right now. You must have been thinking about that Hardy boy instead. Well, I've some work for you."  
  
Her aunt Gus had slipped by the kitchen door and was looking at her.  
  
"Hey, Gus ! Are you already back from Big City ? Did you get all the supplies ?" Waverly asked.  
  
"Don't worry, kiddo ! I know you're anxious about those really ripe bananas you asked me to get you. Got them ! Planning another batch of your signature muffins, aren't you ?"  
  
"I will have you know, we have customers coming here specially for my banana muffins, Gus."  
  
"That's true. But a lot more of'em come for the booze. Now come to help me to unload back there"  
  
"Gus, are you trying to say that I should stop making my pastries ?" Waverly asked with a mock whiny tone. "Yeah, tell me how it's hard for you to have to taste them for quality when I get them out of the oven, sooo warm with the scent of hot butter, and looking sooo good, and…" Her aunt was already going back into the kitchen, shaking her head. "I see you, Gus, you know, when you're so eager that you get your fingers burned !" she hollered. "Oh, fudge nuggets, I almost forgot ! Hey ! Gus ! We've got a broken tap !" she remembered, walking fast to catch up with her aunt.

  
As she was finishing to carry the supplies into the bar, she heard the sound a message on her phone. A few minutes later, taking a break outside the front doors, she saw it was a text from Chrissy Nedley.  
  
CN : Didn't see you much yesterday. Hope you ended your shift OK. Had a crazy night with Steph and co. What about movie night you and me ?  
  
Waverly texted quickly :  
  
WE : Movie night OK, but late shift for me tonight. Tomorrow ?  
  
Chrissy was ready to answer :  
  
CN : Tomorrow OK. My place ? Choose the movie but please not one of your old films.  
  
WE : You mean not one of my classic movies ? OK I'll find something recent. Wine ?  
  
CN : Wine. See you tomorrow. 7PM ?  
  
WE : Deal. Have a good day !  
  
CN : You too.  
  
  
Waverly was happy to see Chrissy for a movie night, without Stephanie around making the air toxic. They were going to watch two, perhaps three movies if they were both in the mood to stay up late, drinking a decent amount of wine, making comments about what they would see on-screen… Her idea of fun !

 

Gus was calling her, she went back inside Shorty's.


	3. Instant soup and Caesar salad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The camp's cook arrives, and he's quite aloof. But Waverly is very approachable, and it's all the harder for Nicole to avoid a meltdown of her heart.

Nicole was sitting with her feet on another chair, eating noodles with chopsticks out of an instant soup, careful to balance the book laying open on her right thigh. She still had five or six days to get everything really running, and had already made a few arrangements today, but right now, she was waiting for someone.  
  
Being alone in a new camp was a sensation that Nicole knew well. She had spent holidays on archaeological sites since the age of sixteen, and she liked the hustle and bustle of a camp accommodating many people, but she also did appreciate the strange feeling of peace in the weekends when no one, or only very few people, would be there. She had realized after a few years that those quiet moments could be experienced, too, in the periods taking place before the proper digging, when a small crew had to prepare the place for a large number of workers, and after it, when it was time to end and close the excavation.  
  
Nicole had proven herself useful for such activities. Useful enough to get a small reputation as a young, up-and-coming site manager. Useful enough to get a decent salary. In fact, Nicole knew she was a relief for archaeologists who didn't like those quiet moments at all. _Dull moments ? Scary, lonely, help-I'm-feeling-like-in-a-horror-movie moments ?_ And her current boss, Professor Lucado, seemed to display all the symptoms of a woman who had better things to do than supervising the set-up of her own diggings.  
  
The day before had been indeed very busy, and not lonely at all. She had spent hours watching the crews during the installation of a dozen modular buildings, and many other elements like a dumpster or cisterns. Thanks to a rather generous funding, the diggers would not have to make do with inadequate lodging and offices. Nicole had also listened carefully to a flurry of technical advice. A lot of it. About wastewater collection and power generator reboot, about fire hazard, about why you don't want to dance on the roof of a modular building, and much, much other things. She had written down all that she could, she had taken photos to annotate them later, even recorded some of the recommendations. To tell the truth, most of those guidance speeches had been clear and short, and that was a blessing.  
  
In the afternoon, she had received a short phone call from Professor Lucado, who wanted to know if everything was OK. It was, surprisingly. Except about a hundred issues. Some of those issues were big ones, like the two missing sleeper units, but she had been promised she would get them before the end of the week. Or like the absence of a laundry on the camp, a problem she had to address quickly. Most of the rest was trifles, but it was easy to get drowned in a hundred of them. Nicole liked this aspect of her mission, having to keep a cool head while juggling multiple tasks. That was the essence of her job.  
  
In the evening, she had returned to the Purgatory community center to sleep, and now she was back among the portable buildings, enjoying the end of a sunny morning, reading a crime novel. She had made a small fire to get the boiling water for her soup. The scent of smoke made her feel like a pioneer of the past. Well, a bit…  
  
The noise of a motor on the road made her raise her head, and she saw a van coming her way. _Another pioneer,_ she thought. Still holding her noodles cup in one hand, she took the book in the other, and stood up. _Here comes the cook !_ His name was Xavier Dolls, she had never seen him, but she knew he had already been cooking for several other excavations. And he was punctual, showing up exactly at the time he had texted her early this morning. She put her book on the chair and slurped some more of her soup.  
  
The van stopped near one of the offices. In a place where Nicole had decided no car should park, because it was the lane for the supply trucks that would have to come and go for deliveries, water, garbage et cetera. She had some signboards to make about that, before the rush of the next week, but it was not a problem if the path was obstructed now. A young, burly black man got out, walking in her direction with a straight, even stiff posture. Perhaps he had back problems and the drive had taken its toll.  
  
"Hello. Are you Nicole Haught ? I'm Dolls. The cook." he said, lowering his eyes and looking at the ramen noodle cup in Nicole's hand, then calmly looking at her face again. He didn't say anything more, but she felt like she had committed some treason. She put the cup on her chair, and they shook hands.  
  
"Hi, Dolls ! I hope you had no problem while driving here. Do you want to rest, or shall we see the kitchen ? Or do you want to visit the whole camp first ?" Nicole said.  
  
"Let's begin with the kitchen, please." Dolls replied.  
  
He spent about ten minutes examining every appliance, looking at every detail, without saying what he thought about the kitchen he would have to work in. Nicole watched him, saying not much more. Only factual things on the lines of "The butane gas cylinders are not here yet. I hope to get them today, then we can get them connected", or "We have to discuss about where you can buy food around here."  
  
"The sooner the better," Dolls had answered, and "Yeah, sure." _A man of few words,_ Nicole thought.  
  
Dolls went quickly to his van, coming back with a coffee maker and a few mugs. While the java was brewing, they got back out of the kitchen and began to discuss the way meals would be served. Dolls insisted that he wanted to serve the meals just outside his kitchen, even if there was a building that was supposed to be the dining hut.  
  
"Look at this place," he said, "we have a wide, flat place at our disposal, we ought to eat outdoors, weather permitting. The building will be our backup plan."  
  
"What do you have against eating in the hut ?" Nicole inquired. "Perhaps your food smells so good that we will need a lot of fresh air to survive the experience," she added, trying to sound light-hearted, but knowing that she was sounding like a bit of a sneerer. The constrained manners of this man were getting somehow on her nerves.  
  
"That's not the reason. But yes, my food smells good. Eating outdoors will be better than being cramped in a hut, perhaps having to take turns to eat. I prefer that everybody eats together, at the same time. If the tables are just in front of the kitchen, I can get help easily. Anyhow, it's easier to carry the food to the tables. And we won't have to worry about cleaning the floor. And we won't get angry when we will discover that the tables inside the hut have been commandeered for archaeological work. Inevitably." This was the longest speech Dolls had said this far.  
  
"OK," Nicole answered. _Let's show him I can be brief, too._  
  
Doll's bearing was not the result of a back problem. He stood there, at the meeting point of the Great Plains and the Rockies, his shoes in a puddle, like a sentry guarding a royal palace. But his point of view about where the meals were to take place was convincing. _Sawhorses, planks, perhaps benches to make. Some work for a certain mustachioed craftsman I know, who will be there on Thursday,_ Nicole thought.  
  
After drinking the very good coffee the cook had made, Nicole was not idle for the rest of the afternoon. She first helped Xavier Dolls to unload his van, and move his things into his room. One of the portable buildings was reserved for the personnel that would stay the whole summer, where she had her own room too, even if she hadn't slept in it yet. All there was in it for the moment was her laptop, charging, she still had to get her own things back from Purgatory's community center. Moving her sleeping gear was on her to-do list for the end of the afternoon.  
  
Nicole spent some time on the phone making sure the butane was coming, and in fact she saw a truck finally delivering it a bit before four o'clock. Even if she was strong enough to move the cylinders by herself, she was pleased to see Dolls materialize suddenly and take part in the transport and the connecting, the latter proving trickier than expected. During the whole gig, Dolls kept his dignified manner. It was well past five when the site manager and the cook finally had the relief to see all the fires of the gas stoves working correctly, and the water running hot in the showers. Dolls was so ecstatic, he smiled for a whole half second.  
  
It was more than time for Nicole to go to Purgatory and fetch her things. She left Dolls at the camp, after he said solemnly he needed to rest.  
  
During her drive to the small town, Nicole was thinking about the cook. The man seemed to know his trade, and he apparently knew how to keep a schedule, another important quality, but he didn't seem to be quite the party animal. Or perhaps he was only a shy boy, and would need time to thaw out. Soon he would be dancing on the tables, shaking margaritas… Nicole chuckled thinking about Dolls turning into a provocative entertainer. She had not seen this side of his personality yet, if said side existed at all.  
  
_A good cook is essential to a camp's atmosphere,_ Nicole reflected while gathering the few things she had left in the community center and putting them in her car. Dolls wasn't there to amuse the diggers, his job was to make good food. It was the cook's mission not only to feed the diggers, but also to keep their spirits high by serving really good grub. The young woman had seen in other occasions how bad food, or even just dull food, could destroy the collective mood on an excavation. Could someone like this Xavier Dolls care about collective mood when he forgot to smile ? Or talk ? That was a nagging doubt in Nicole's mind while she drove away from the community center.  
  
She hoped that Dolls would be at least efficient enough to provide meals the workers would look forward to, especially on those days at work when the weather would be bad, or when arguments and discord would arise. On such moments, if the diggers were to sit at the table to find unsavory food or scanty portions, problems would inevitably escalate. And scanty portions of unsavory food would trigger full-scale mayhem, she thought, when she finally reached Purgatory High and got out of her car. She wanted to have a long shower, and then she would get something to eat somewhere in town.  
  
Worries about the future gastronomy at the _Chez Xavier_ restaurant went away, under the steaming hot water, when she began to think about her evening meal. She had found a small diner where she knew she could get a pretty good Caesar salad. And it was in walking distance of Shorty's saloon, the better option if she wanted to have a beer, in the apparently not very hopping nightlife of Purgatory. She could pass by…  
  
_Who are you kidding ? You just want to see her again,_ she scolded herself.  
  
Well, to be perfectly honest, a certain hazel-eyed girl would perhaps be there working, and it would be the perfect opportunity to give a better second impression than the first one, less flirty, more friendly, without any sentimental agenda.  
  
_You know you are going to flirt… She's straight and in a relationship, you must not flirt, Haught. You're going to be clean, professional, reasonable._  
  
She decided she would go there only to prove to herself that she was able to handle the presence of beauty without losing her self-control.  
  
And perhaps Waverly wouldn't even be there.  
  
_Well, of course she won't be there._  
  
Still lingering under the hot shower, pressing again and again the button on the wall, Nicole just knew that the beautiful brunette would not be working tonight. It was a rule, when you got back somewhere in hope to see someone again, they were never present. Ever.  
  
Probably Waverly was only in charge of the morning cleaning, and there was a whole team of other picturesque bartenders. It was a saloon, wasn't it ? Nicole could already imagine a crew straight out of a spaghetti western from the seventies, with sweaty faces and various defects, physical and moral. There would be Spotty-Jane, Greg-With-The-Wooden-Peg, an old hag called Tiffany with a greasy apron, and the One-Eyed-Bobs, because why would there be only one One-Eyed-Bob ? To be able to differentiate one from the other, the regulars would have to nickname them, again. You'd be served by One-Eyed-Bob-The-Hunchback on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and by Rotten-Smile-One-Eyed-Bob from Thursday to Saturday.  
  
Yes, that would be just one drink for Nicole, handed by One-Eyed-Bob (the one with the good teeth and the bad back, because tonight was Tuesday night), in a welcoming-but-not-romantic-at-all atmosphere.

  
About one hour later, after she ate, she walked into Shorty's saloon. There were a dozen people at the bar, and more seated at the tables, some of them eating, and also pool players in the back. A man was working behind the bar. He had the face of a heavy drinker, looking like a aging, embarrassing relative in a wedding movie. _Shorty, I presume ? So much for the spaghetti western ambience, then,_ Nicole thought. The man looked at her as she was approaching the counter.  
  
"Hi ! Are you Shorty ?" the redhead asked, seating. "I'm Nicole Haught," she said after he made a nod, "I came yesterday morning and talked with one of your employees, I'm working for an archaeological dig… Did she tell you about it ?"  
  
"Hello ! Yes, she did. Do you want something to drink ?"  
  
Nicole asked for a pale ale. Shorty went to the taps to fill a glass, and Nicole noticed that one of the taps was dismounted from the counter, the one that was wobbly the day before. Coming back with her glass, the landlord looked calmly at her.  
  
"So you'll be here for the summer, and you intend to use my bar as a hub for throngs of transiting archaeologists, Waverly told me." he said finally.  
  
"Did she really say something about throngs ?" Nicole asked laughing, "I hope it won't be a disappointment for you, but we are only expecting a few dozens of them. Let's say scores of archaeologists to sound optimistic… Are you OK with them coming here so I can collect them easily ?"  
  
"Yes, of course, but there's one condition. It's a saloon here. What you'll have to say is that you come here to round'em up." Shorty said with a serious face, and then a chuckle. Nicole chuckled along. She felt at ease with the landlord, and she was beginning to think that she had made a good choice for her meeting point.  
  
Suddenly, Shorty looked behind her.  
  
"Here she is !" he said, "Hey, Waverly, didn't you promise me there would be hundreds of diggers coming here ?" he asked with a wink. Nicole spun on her stool to find herself face to face with the young brunette that had snuck behind her, now crinkling her eyes and smiling at her.  
  
"Hello and welcome back, Nicole !" she said, playfully nudging Nicole with an empty tray she was carrying.  
  
Waverly had a red and blue top, sporting a huge "Shorty's" on the front, that left bare a notable portion of her midriff. Nicole only had a short glance at the bartender's tummy before quickly looking up again at her face.  
Not a tummy. The proper vernacular was abs. The young woman had abs.  
  
_Clean, professional, reasonable._  
  
"Hello, Waverly…" Nicole said. An internal panic was sweeping her brain again. _Hey ! Words ? Words to say ? Please come back here !_   "Er… You remember me ?" she finally managed to utter.  
  
"Well of course I remember you. You came here yesterday, new faces are rare around here, and you're quite a presence, you know ?" Waverly said.  
  
_Shoot. Of course she remembers my performance._  
  
"How is your camp doing ? In fact I think I saw one of the portable buildings you were waiting for, passing on a truck yesterday." Waverly continued.  
  
"Yes, they came yesterday, well, almost all. It looks like it's going to be alright. The camp is quite ready now." Nicole answered back, happy to feel able again to play her part normally in the conversation.  
  
The two young women went into a discussion about how the buildings had been placed on the ground by a crane. Waverly seemed to be quite interested in the way it had been organized, and she stayed in front of Nicole after getting back behind the counter. Nicole felt great, speaking of her job with the clever and beautiful woman.  
  
The young bartender had to serve the other customers, of course, and she regularly left Nicole for a few minutes to do so, before coming back and asking new questions about the way they had planned the job, so that they would not be blocked by something they would have already installed. Each time Waverly went away, Nicole was dutifully not looking at her walking around the place, taking orders and refilling glasses. _Clean, professional and reasonable._ It had been perhaps two minutes since Waverly had left again with a tray full of drinks, when Nicole saw a man coming to the bar holding an empty glass. He was about twenty-five, he wore a denim jacket, and trousers so dirty from long days of use that they were beginning to shine. Trying hard to look casual, he turned to Nicole :  
  
"Hi, I'm Jimmy ! You surely just arrived here because I would remember if I had seen you before…"  
  
"Would you ?" Nicole said, channeling a psychologist with a clinical tone, speaking to a delusional patient in a group therapy. _Let's stay calm,_ she thought, _he has to do it, he's been assigned a project for the class he took : picking women up for beginners._  
  
"Well, sure, you look like an angel, so you must come from the sky, er, heaven, you know. I mean, do you come from heaven, because you…"  
  
"Hey Jimmy !" Waverly exclaimed, suddenly back on the other side of the bar, "I didn't have the time to speak with you when you came in. Tell me, is your car already repaired ? You went into that ditch what… three days ago ?" she said, taking the glass from Jimmy's hand, waiting for his answer with apparent eagerness.  
  
"I… I found another car," Jimmy answered, looking uneasy.  
  
"Whose car is it ? Your mother's car, like last time when you drifted because there was ice on the road ? Into a tree, wasn't it ?" Waverly asked, like she was waiting for the whole story.  
  
_Oh, crafty lady,_ Nicole thought, _Casanova drove here in his mama's car._ And Waverly had just disclosed it for her.  
  
"Waverly, stop, you make it look like I am a bad driver !" Jimmy complained.  
  
"Well, I don't really care anyhow. I've got my own car." Nicole interjected, looking straight into his eyes. That was the moment that Waverly chose to go to the taps, refilling the young man's glass, and placing it on the counter in front of her instead of coming back with it, signaling Jimmy to come to get it with a big, fake smile.  
  
Something happened in the man's brain. Something like lucidity. He left Nicole to get his beer, still mumbling about him being a good driver, and then went away slowly, leaving the two young woman looking at each other with mischievous grins. Nicole mouthed a silent thank you to Waverly, who just shrugged lightly and came back in her direction.  
  
"So tell me, Nicole, I'm wondering if you are doing a full-time job as a site manager, or if you are still studying archaeology. Are you a student at the BCU ?" the young bartender asked.  
  
"It's a summer job for me. I just graduated, but not from the Big City University, and not as an archaeologist. I was studying law, basically…" Nicole said. "Archaeology has always interested me, but I don't really feel like making a career about it. And what I'm doing currently as a manager, not a digger, has much appeal too. I love all the challenges I've got to rise to. Right now, my current problem is dealing with a mute cook."  
  
Waverly was taken aback. "The site cook is mute ?"  
  
"No, not mute-mute ! I mean he is not talkative. Not talkative at all, and I wonder… We will have a lot to do together this summer…" Nicole said, not ready to worry too much about Dolls in front of the pretty brunette.  
  
"Did you try to ask him to make you a meal ?" Waverly enquired.  
  
"No ! Hey, I think it's a very good idea, Waverly !"  
  
The bartender gave Nicole another of her radiant smiles. Nicole felt like she could stare at Waverly's face for hours, and still want to stare some more. Was there a part of this nice, intelligent woman that Nicole could look at without feeling an instant attraction ?  
  
Waverly's hair was catching the lights of the saloon and Nicole was sitting there, wishing to be able to behold such hair in other lights, at other moments. In a sunset. Or on a sunny day under the trees. Or under the falling snow. Or glistening and wet after a very hot and steamy shower and drops of water like beads on her skin and _whoa, whoa… down, Haught. Stay calm._  
  
_Clean, professional, reasonable._  
  
Suddenly, Waverly fished her phone in the back pocket of her trousers.  
"A text from Champ." she said looking up.  
"My boyfriend," she explained. And she went away from Nicole to type a message, looking at the screen.  
  
_The boy-man,_ Nicole thought. _A timely reminder of the reality. I'm falling for this girl, but when you can't get happiness, you'd better not stand too close, watching it._  
  
Nicole felt very alone all of a sudden. She was. When a middle-aged man sat near her and leaned like he was going to start a conversation with her, Nicole decided she didn't want to deal with him, stood and caught a glance from Waverly. The redhead smiled, raising her open hand in a salute, and said goodnight.  
  
She went back to her car. She had still a little less than half an hour to get back to the camp. It was the first time she would drive by night there. She had to be careful. _Clean, professional, reasonable._  
  
The night was so dark.


	4. Three tools playing pool.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Champ is a moron. His friends aren't any better. Waverly turns to old and new female friends. Nicole is dealing with mixed feelings, good food and hot beverages.

  
After the coffee drinkers of the morning, they made a pretty decent mealtime at Shorty's. With Gus having a lot to do in the kitchen, Waverly couldn't rest for a minute before the lunch crowd was on the wane.  
  
It was about half past two when she saw her boyfriend Champ entering the saloon, with the York brothers in tow, no less. Those two were a few years older than Champ. If she remembered well, they were in fact the same age as her sister Wynonna… The three of them were now lingering near the door, perhaps having second thoughts, or trying to remember why they came in. _Not here for muffins, that's for sure,_ Waverly thought.  
  
Champ had texted her the evening before, right in the middle of her shift, telling her to "come bcz its Dave birthday", prompting her simple answer : "Working". Because she was, like every Tuesday evening. Because her dumb boyfriend didn't seem to be able to remember what days she worked in the evening. Or perhaps he simply didn't care at all.  
  
It was probably that - he didn't care - because he had replied rapidly, urging her to simply leave the bar.  
  
Truth be told, Champ was equally careless about his own work, i.e. when he found someone willing to give him a job. He didn't show up, or left at whim. He only thought about pleasing himself. Employers, they were not amused.  
  
Waverly did remember the exact moment they had been in touch on the previous night, because she was in the middle of an interesting conversation with Nicole when her phone had buzzed. The tall redhead had left, looking a bit sad, while she was answering Champ's messages. The archaeologist (or was she a lawyer ?) was a very sympathetic person, even if she had visibly fleeting moments of confusion. The conversation was easy with her, but for a second she seemed to lose her focus, either closing her eyes or gazing at her strangely. Under the confident persona, Nicole was probably a shy woman. _All the more endearing,_ Waverly reflected.  
  
The brunette mused for a moment about the way she was more concerned about Nicole Haught than she was about Champ Hardy. She was his girlfriend, but she had been only annoyed when he had asked her to come at the birthday party. And once again very satisfied not to hear again from him for the rest of the night.  
  
_I'm with Champ, but what am I with him ? I'm in a rut with Champ… I'm fed up with Champ…_  
  
And now Champ was back, still chatting with the two other men near the entrance. Waverly had spent enough time working as a bartender, she was able to spot instantly those classic problem customers : the ones who came already drunk. Well, slightly drunk in that case. But the afternoon was only beginning.  
  
_Day drinking._ Her older sister was a day drinker extraordinaire. At this very moment, Wynonna was probably slightly drunk too, like she always was, but somewhere in Europe. The last news from her sister had come from a small island of Greece, about two months ago. "Hot sun, hot guys, cold beers". Not much for her only sign of life since the winter. What time was it in Greece ? Was it the time when Wynonna was completely drunk ? _Under a scorching sun, surrounded by a bunch of male admirers ? Or under a pale moon, surrounded by a bunch of…_ Waverly shook away those thoughts, and focused back on the bunch of males finally approaching the counter.  
  
She made a smile and a wave.  
"Hey, Pete ! Hey, Kyle ! And hey to you too, Champ. How was Dave's birthday party last night ?"  
  
"Yeah…It was cool… Had a lot of fun." Champ replied, looking anywhere but at Waverly.  
  
The York brothers snorted. "A lot !" blurted Kyle and both began to laugh, but Champ glanced at them angrily, before looking to Waverly, steadily this time.  
  
"Tell me about you baby. What have you done yesterday evening ?" he asked her with an easy smile.  
  
_Yeah._  
_The York brothers lopsided grins._  
_Champ asking for news about her life._  
  
Waverly chose to ignore this.  
  
"Not much. Business as usual, Champ. I reckon you came for a little pool game, am I right ?" she moved on.  
  
"Yes, you are," Champ said. "What are you guys drinking ? Beer ? Beer ? Care to give us three beers, baby ?" And off he went to the pool tables with his friends. _If the Kyle brothers were afraid to play gooseberry while Champ and me would share a tender moment, they must be relieved now. We certainly are two lovebirds !_  
  
As there were only a few other customers in the bar, Waverly had plenty of time to reflect on the way she was somehow stuck with Champ Hardy. Purgatory wasn't much of a hunting ground for lovers. It was sad to admit that the main advantage of her relationship with the Hardy boy was that it was low maintenance. Their unsaid agreement was that they met only in parties or at the bar. She never went to his family's home. It was very clear that he was not welcome at Gus and Curtis' house. Gus, especially, was not fond of him, even if she never stated anything precisely, she only sneered. Sex happened in Waverly's apartment above Shorty's, after closing time, and Champ had to leave early in the morning, that way the brunette didn't even need to make conversation with him.  
  
Speaking with Champ was like diving in a dark, cold, bottomless pool. Waverly had become very good at avoiding talks with him. Usually, she would let him get drunk on his own, finally yielding to his offensive requests for sex at the precise level of intoxication that suited her, between talkative-drunk-Champ and passed-out-Champ. Between those two states was silent-lover-Champ, and there were nights when it was OK.  
  
_Well,_ Waverly thought, _I wish I had much more than that, but who around here could give me more, give me real love ?_  
  
Then the door opened with a light crack and Nicole Haught stepped into the bar, making a beeline for her.

  
Waverly's musings about Champ popped like a soap bubble. Seeing the red-headed archaeologist was a strange happiness for Waverly. In just a few days, the intriguing and melancholic stranger had become a frequent presence in her train of tought. And she was becoming a regular at the bar, too. _And she still hasn't tried my muffins,_ Waverly thought. _When she will…_  
  
Presently, Nicole was holding a big heavy plastic bag. Waverly noticed the strength of the tall redhead, who didn't lose her balance in spite of the weight.  
  
"Hey, Waverly ! I'm happy to see you here !" the redhead said, smiling. In the afternoon light, Waverly saw that pretty dimples formed on Nicole's cheeks when she made a true smile.  
  
"Hello, Nicole ! What's in this huge bag you're carrying ?"  
  
"Well," the archaeologist said, with a quick glance at the big pouch, "it's a few things I had to buy for the camp. Mainly electric stuff to illuminate the place at night, the camp is pretty dark at night. Our cook - his name is Xavier - has convinced me to make an outdoor dining place. I hope to make something that will feel like a beer garden."  
  
"I'm sure it will be lovely," Waverly said. "Do you want something to drink ?"  
  
"Can I have a coffee ?"  
  
"Yes, you can. You are a cappuccino girl, I recall. You want one ?"  
  
"Yes please," Nicole said. "And as I said last time, if you want one too, I will be glad to offer it to you."  
  
Waverly was precisely hoping such a diversion. And such an occasion for…  
  
"I will have a cappuccino too, then ! Would you care for a muffin with your coffee ?" Waverly proposed slyly.  
  
"No thanks, no muffin, perhaps another day…" Nicole said.  
  
_Damn ! Failed for this time,_ Waverly thought.  
  
She quickly went to the kitchen to say to Gus she would take a little break. Her aunt would keep an eye on the customers, it would be her own break from scrubing the pans. Then Waverly made the two best cappuccino she could, and led Nicole to a booth. The two woman sat quietly for a minute, neither of the two was feeling the urge to say anything. They enjoyed the first taste of the cappuccinos, looking at each other contentedly.  
  
"So, a beer garden ?" Waverly began, raising a eyebrow. "Are you trying to be some competition with our saloon ?"  
  
"Oh ! Only an honest place, serving honest diggers !" Nicole answered playfully.  
  
"I don't know if I can trust ya on this !" Waverly said with her best mock cowgirl accent. In fact, she was not in the mood to play this game of arguing for fun with Nicole. After a few seconds of silent reflexion, she went on : "To be frank, I hope not to be too forthright, but I would like to see your site, if it's all right with you, Nicole. I just keep thinking about this Blackfoot settlement, I'm very interested in that kind of things, could you please let me see the place ?"  
  
"But of course I can show you the place !" Nicole said immediately. "And you will be able to inspect the future beer garden, you must make sure I wont ruin Shorty's saloon," she added with a wink.  
  
But this wouldn't happen today. Waverly still had a long shift ahead of her, and then a movie night with her friend Chrissy, and Nicole had a meeting with Professor Lucado later. They decided they would surely find another time for a visit of the site in the best conditions. After ten more minutes, the site manager left the saloon, hauling her bag, and Waverly went back to her counter.  
  
Just before reaching the doors, Nicole looked back and smiled at the bartender.  
  
_I'm sure we will become good friends,_ Waverly thought.  
  
At the pool tables, Champ asked her, by gesture, for three more beers. A second round this fast, this early was a dark omen for the way the afternoon would roll by. _Boys will be boys,_ she sighed internally as she went to serve them the beers and take back the empty glasses. Anyhow, she would not be with Champ tonight. She began to ponder about what movies she would bring for her evening with Chrissy.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, on her ride back to the camp, Nicole was half scolding herself, half giving herself kudos.  
  
The scolding Nicole had the voice of an old chaperone : "You want to spent time with the pretty girl. What were you doing at Shorty's ? Yesterday, you decided to get some distance. And today you're back at the saloon. Where do you think it's heading ? Never fall in love for a straight girl. In the end, you will only make a fool of yourself. Stop pretending you're only looking for a friend, you're not deceiving anyone !" Scolding Nicole was a pain in the neck.  
  
The enthusiastic Nicole was singing a very different song : "Excellent control, you didn't woo her again since the first encounter, you're so friend-zoned you shoud get a special award about it ! And she likes you, it's clear ! She is such a great girl ! Whoop ! It will be a marvelous summer in her company !" Enthusiastic Nicole didn't know very precisely what she wanted, but she was enjoying the ride, especially since Waverly had asked to come to see her. Or the camp, or the site. Same thing, didn't matter.  
  
Nicole was a bit schizophrenic, if you had to be really honest. Or simply a bit in love.  
  
  
  
One hour later, Nicole was essentially feeling boredom and a little anger. Professor Lucado had been waiting for her at the camp, not Nicole's fault, it was Lucado who had come earlier, but clearly to get rid of their meeting sooner. Lucado had greeted Nicole at her return from Purgatory with a sour face, like she had been living la vida loca in town. She was buying electrical equipment ! (and okay, having a cappuccino with an Very Interesting Person…)  
  
They had driven to the site, where Lucado told her she wanted to begin with several test diggings to try to get a better understanding of the importance of the Blackfoot settlement. The discussion was stopped several times by Lucado looking at her phone, checking for notifications and sending messages.  
  
Lucado seemed quite satisfied about the way Nicole had been organizing things. She didn't really care about the camp, apparently. She announced to Nicole that she had made her how arrangements for board and lodging in Purgatory, in an elderly couple's house where she would rent a room for the summer. _One more free room in the camp,_ Nicole thought.  
  
"I've been discussing about our excavation with a few people around here, of course, and many of them have been interested about it, some asked if we were planning to organize events so they could visit the site…" Nicole said, looking at the professor's face to gauge her reaction.  
  
Nicole thought it was better to ask Lucado about visiting days making it seem like a issue of general interest. It sounded better than saying "I met a gorgeous girl I would like very much to impress, and she gave me a great idea." In fact, Nicole was feeling a bit guilty about this. This was Waverly's idea. Of course visits of excavations were not uncommon, but nevertheless Nicole felt an urge to acknowledge the input of Shorty's radiant bartender.  
  
Lucado pursed her lips.  
  
"I don't see the point of doing such a thing," she answered back. "What is our interest in this ? We've got to be cautious about too many people knowing the exact place of the diggings. We don't want treasure hunters, mystics or vandals on the place."  
  
_Does she really think people won't know where we are working, in a small town like this ? I would bet half Purgatory's population will be able to find their way to the dig, even on a moonless night, before the end of next week,_ Nicole thought, but she was not going to try to dispel the professor's illusions.  
  
"We dig, we analyse, we publish. It's a university research." Lucado went on, "I know what you think, Nicole, you would like to involve the locals, let them satisfy their curiosity, but we are a scientific mission, not a roadshow."  
  
_No, you don't know what I think, Professor Lucado,_ Nicole reflected, looking at her boss as she was once again fishing her phone out of her coat. And it was for the better if Lucado wasn't fully aware of what was on her mind, because her motivations were less pure than she would care to admit. Even if she was sure it was a good thing to associate more people from Purgatory with the excavation, she was only eager to involve one very precise local.  
  
"We should talk about the road to the site, some parts are potentially dangerous, especially if the weather turns bad," Nicole said, moving on. "I think we should make an effort to make the surface more solid, before we get vehicles stuck in the mud. I would like to divert a few diggers into this for a day or two."  
  
Lucado hummed, eyes glued to her phone's screen, probably not really listening to what Nicole was telling her. The redhead turned to Dolls, who was piling some wood near the fire ring. He looked at her, then at Lucado, with a inscrutable face. Nicole had hoped he would chime in something to get Lucado back with them, but he didn't seem to be thinking about doing that in the foreseeable future.  
  
"So it's OK then, about the road ?" Nicole enquired.  
  
"Mmm." Lucado stated.  
  
"I… I'll be right there if you have anything else to tell me." Nicole said, before drifting to the kitchen, intending to make herself some fresh coffee. But the pot was full, smelling very good like every time Dolls had been making it. How was he able to make a beverage so different while using the exact same ingredients ? Nicole would have to spy him. Or perhaps she could just ask him. She poured herself a mug and walked towards the fire ring where Xavier had lighted a small fire.  
  
Lucado was already leaving, only yelling a goodbye in their general direction. _Did she even speak to Dolls about his work ?_ Nicole wondered.  
  
Dolls was whisking eggs in a big bowl, adding thin bits of vegetables and spices in the mix. He put a pan on the fire.  
  
"Would you like some omelette ?" Dolls asked.

"Yes, please !" Nicole agreed eagerly, remembering Waverly's advice about the cook. _Let him cook you a meal…_  
  
The omelette was ready just a few minutes later, and the cook made slide a slice in the redhead's plate. After the first bite, Nicole paused and looked at the young man, nodding in appreciation. It was very, very good. Even a simple dish like this was proving that Dolls knew his job. She ate the rest quickly, realizing she had been quite hungry.  
  
"Hey, Dolls," she said, "you make a pretty decent coffee, I noticed. Would you care to teach me how to make it myself ?"  
  
"Easy. I will show you. But first, do you want seconds ?" Dolls answered, holding the pan.  
  
"I think I do, Mr Dolls, I think I do."


	5. Rare Birds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two peculiar diggers show up at Shorty's. Things get archaeological between Nicole and Waverly. Muffins get tasted.

Randy Nedley, sheriff of Purgatory, had a demanding job. It involved sitting at his desk looking grumpy, attending Shorty's saloon happy hour, and making sure someone did respond to the various calls for help that reached the sheriff department. As the PSD was short on personnel, it frequently involved driving himself to enquire into the quirky events that seemed to happen a little bit more often than expected in this community.  
  
Waverly knew that when an order for two burgers and fries came from the sheriff's office a good two hours after lunchtime, it meant several things :  
1 - Sheriff Nedley had been forced to go somewhere, and had not been yet able to eat,  
2 - He was hungry, hence extra grumpy and would only be soothed by the view of a complimentary muffin,  
3 - Waverly was not to say anything to the sheriff's daughter about this meal. Chrissy was trying to persuade her father to have a more healthy diet, but his stance on the matter was different. Officially, if her friend asked, Waverly was ready to swear she had seen Randy Nedley only licking a dried apricot for his lunch.  
  
As she was walking out of the sheriff's office after delivering the burgers, she saw across the road a strange vehicle coming. It was an old, pink, very pink, Lincoln of the 1970s towing a utility trailer, and carrying a bundle of very long poles fastened on a roof rack. The poles, slim wooden poles more than six meters long, were jutting out from both the front and the rear of the car. Several big cylindric bags were also stacked on the roof rack.  
  
The driver seemed to be struggling with their car, or looking for directions, driving slowly past Shorty's, and suddenly deciding to park alongside the sidewalk. From where she was standing, Waverly could hear the screeching noise of tires scraping against concrete. The Lincoln apparently stalled, and came to a halt with one last jolt. Two men got out, stood a few seconds having a stretch and observing the street, and then walked into the saloon.  
  
Glancing from side to side, she made sure there was no other car coming before running across the road. When she pushed Shorty's doors, the two newcomers were just sitting down in one of the booths against the wall. Like most people that came into Shorty's for the first time, they were taking in the many details of the place that made its special, welcoming atmosphere.  
  
Waverly went behind the counter, looked around to see if anyone was waiting to order something. After serving drinks to three customers, she turned again to the two men from the pink Lincoln, who had been reading the menu and had now a decided look. She took the notepad and a pen, and approached the newcomers.  
  
What would have those gentlemen ?  
  
"Hi ! I see that you serve mac and cheese, don't you ? I'll have one, with a small bottle of water to drink, please," the younger of the two men said. "You spoke about a beer and a burger," he added, turning to his companion. "Is it still what you want, because if you changed your mind I'm totally cool with that, they have a whole lot of other foods and drinks here, look at this list ! Hey, check this out, do they really have basil muffins as today's special? I wonder what they taste like ! Well, silly me, they taste like basil…"  
  
The man speaking was very, very cheerful, with a light brown skin and beautiful curly black hair suggesting familial origins somewhere near India. Waverly noticed he wore a necklace with the bubble vial of a spirit level held at both ends, as a pendant.  
  
_Well, not really a pendant since it's horizontal. Well, it's not really horizontal since the bubble is not right in the middle. Oh, get a grip, Waverly Earp !_  
  
The second man was tall and slim, and his complexion pointed to a mainly European ancestry. In fact, Waverly thought he looked like a European ancestor himself, sporting a huge mustache and a soul patch, like a frontiersman of the old days. _The Lincoln must be his. He has gotten hold of this ride sometime between the nineteenth century and today,_ Waverly thought.  
  
The first visitor was still rambling about the menu, until he was interrupted by his friend raising a hand in a relaxed way :  
  
"My dear Jeremy," the tall man said with a slow drawl, "I beg you to have some consideration for the concerns of this young lady whose time you are consuming liberally, while you speculate about the specialities of this honorable establishment. As for me, like I did declare, any light beer and a very classic burger should suffice, if you please."  
  
Waverly went to the kitchen to hand over their order to Gus, after coaxing the young man called Jeremy into giving a try to a basil muffin. One of her basil muffins, she just knew he would soon be asking for another. She made a trip to the taps, then to the fridge to get their drinks, carried them to their table, and went back to the counter.  
  
A few minutes later Gus rang the bell to signal the meals were ready and Waverly was greeted with smiles when she brought the hot plates to the two travelers.  
  
From behind the bar, the young bartender was still observing the two men from time to time, while she was making everything clean and orderly behind the counter, since her shift was ending in the next half hour, to be replaced by Shorty. Her boss was already here, chatting in the kitchen with Gus.  
  
The man named Jeremy had visibly appreciated the basil muffin, if one could judge by the sounds he had made eating it.  
  
Waverly was coming back from collecting a few empty glasses and used napkins in the back of the room, when she saw Nicole Haught standing next to the two men's table. In her rugged way, she was dressed appropriately for a sunny day, with black jeans and a sleeveless t-shirt. Her athletic frame was on full display. And she had her cowboy hat !  
  
"Hello, Nicole !" Waverly said, coming closer, "How are you doing today ?"  
  
The two women stood for an instant just smiling to one another, until Nicole seemed to remember about the two men sitting there, who where both looking at them.  
  
"Waverly, those two men are Doc," and the mustachioed man gave a nod, "and Jeremy." Nicole said, pointing to each of them. "They come here for the whole summer too, and will be two essential pillars of our excavation."  
  
Her assertion prompted various noises and gasps from the two newcomers, trying to look modest but grinning from ear to ear.  
  
"I wasn't sure of my schedule today, it was safer to tell them to meet me here," Nicole said, blushing noticeably for a reason Waverly couldn't quite make out.  
  
Waverly felt suddenly the urge to follow those three people. Her shift was nearly over…  
  
"Nicole, you told me yesterday you were okay to let me visit the site, and your camp," Waverly said.  
  
"I'm still okay with that," Nicole said.  
  
"I'm almost done here," she continued boldly. "Do you think it's a bad time to show me around? I could follow you in my car, and have a peek. I won't bother you for long, I have to be back here around six."  
  
"You know what ? I can drive you to the camp and then drive you back here. I have to come back in Purgatory this evening too, I have some of my things still left at the community center, I must take it all and clean the place."  
  
"Okay ! I will just tell Shorty I'm leaving," Waverly said, walking briskly to the kitchen.  
  
A few minutes later, the young woman and Shorty came out of the kitchen together, the landlord taking his place behind the bar. As he turned his head to look at Nicole, Nicole smiled at him and said hello across the room.  
  
At the last moment, Jeremy asked Waverly if he could buy a few more muffins to go. Waverly was happy to oblige, and made another trip to the kitchen, coming back with two paper bags. She gave one to the young man, and kept the second with her.  
  
They left Purgatory, Waverly sitting in Nicole's car, Doc and Jeremy in the pink relic following them. Nicole told Waverly that Jeremy was the excavation techie (whatever it meant) and Doc was "well… Doc, you'll see".  
  
After a few kilometers out of town, they left the main road for a gravel road heading towards the big hills.  
  
"So the site is in those hills, Nicole ? Do you know my family has an old house not very far from here ? We call it the Homestead, in fact, it's the house I used to live in when I was a little girl…"  
  
"Did you ? And were do you live now ?" Nicole asked back.  
  
"Mainly above the saloon. There's a whole lot of room on the first floor. Tell me, when you told me the other day that you were a law student… I was wondering if you will become a lawyer ?"  
  
"No, not a lawyer," Nicole answered. "I plan to become a cop," she stated with a little wince.  
  
Waverly understood well why Nicole felt suddenly awkward. She must have the experience of people getting colder when she shared that piece of information.  
  
"I can easily imagine you being a cop, and a good one !" Waverly said quickly to dispel any doubt in the redhead's mind. In fact Waverly could picture Nicole sporting a police uniform, driving a patrol car like she was driving her station wagon at the moment, calm and focused. "So you will enter an academy after the summer, will you ?" and as Nicole nodded, Waverly felt compelled to ask :  
  
"Why aren't you celebrating, having a true vacation ? I mean, you graduated, and now you are on a summer job…"  
  
"Well, first I need the money," Nicole answered, "and I like this job. If I guess correctly, I probably won't be able to do it again for a long time. And it's a good experience for the future cop I am. It's not only running after bad boys, it's also knowing how to coordinate things in a community, being involved with people, taking responsibilities. I feel better doing this than being drinking in Florida."  
  
They were approaching the camp, and soon they parked in front of a portable building. As they got out of the car, they watched Doc and Jeremy stopping nearby. A black, handsome young man came out of another hut, that Nicole introduced to everybody as "Dolls, the cook". Dolls the cook greeted everyone and then drifted away back into the building he came from. Waverly gave a knowing glance at Nicole, who shrugged and nodded, implying that she wasn't worrying anymore about her taciturn coworker.  
  
After a quick survey of the area, Doc asked them all a little help to carry his strange cargo of poles and bags at a stone's throw from the rest of the camp. It was a tipi !  
  
"My habitation on this camp, suiting both the place and our occupation," Doc stated.  
  
With the help of Jeremy, Doc unpacked several ropes, and after making obscure calculations and markings on the ground they began to assemble the three sturdiest poles to form what they called the tripod. Nicole asked them if they needed further help from her and Waverly, and as they assured her they didn't, the two women drove on the trail to the future digging site.  
  
"There is not much to see, you know, it's just a hill slope," Nicole said to Waverly, gesturing towards a nondescript sector as she stopped the car.  
  
"How do you know there's even something here ?" Waverly asked once they were out of Nicole's ride.  
  
"An old hiking enthusiast came to the Big City University a few years ago and told one of Lucado's colleagues that he had spotted the traces of an old building, like the Indians did, he said. They came here to have a look and they did find the remnants of a Blackfoot corral and some sort of ditches. They are pretty sure it's a part of a large settlement that was used regularly, like a seasonal camp. What they were doing here, we don't know yet."  
  
"It's exciting, you'll solve a mystery," Waverly responded. "It reminds me an article I read about places were archaeologists were having a hard time guessing what ancient people had been doing in the past, because what they were doing was mainly waiting, you know, waiting for hunting parties to return, or for wild herds to migrate."  
  
"I gather you know a lot about such matters, Ms Earp."  
  
So Nicole remembered her family name… Well, she remembered Nicole's. Haught ! A part of her brain was cranking out jokes about this name. When Nicole had said she wanted to be a cop, she had instantly thought about Haught-Pursuit. But Nicole was probably fed up with that kind of jokes, and Waverly didn't want to annoy her.  
  
"The slope of this hill is quite uneven…" Waverly went on, quite aware that she was rambling, "there's this caved in area over there, do you see, just below the pines ? What were they doing precisely here ? I mean why right here and not elsewhere in the area ? What's special here ?"  
  
Nicole was looking at her, clearly impressed. "You would do a good recruit for our diggings, Waverly. You have an eye for those things !" the tall woman said, smiling. "You see this little pond in front of us, Waverly ? I reckon it was already here. Perhaps it was even bigger ? For the moment, I'm wondering if we are at the limit of an ancient lake." Nicole added.  
  
_That woman is as much an archaeologist as the others,_ Waverly thought. _She's here to manage the camp, but she understands the research too !_  
  
After a while wandering around the place, they settled on a fallen tree trunk that was laying on the ground, and gazed at the scenery. A warm breeze was swaying the reeds of the pond and the foliage around them. Waverly was feeling good, very relaxed. She had been proud to show to Nicole that she wasn't just a silly bartender, and she was happy that Nicole seemed genuinely interested in what she said. Occasions to share ideas about history where scarce in Purgatory.  
  
A noise made Waverly glance at their right as a big bird took flight above the reeds. White, with a long neck, it flapped its wings in an effort to lift itself, and then began to fly towards them, slowly, in the light of the late afternoon, like it had all the time in the world.  
  
Waverly looked at the bird, its neck now coiled up for the flight, the long yellow bill, and the black legs, extended behind the rest of its silky white body. She knew what species of bird it was. She put her hand on Nicole's forearm, squeezing it gently to get her attention. Nicole was staring at the bird, not making any move that could startle it.  
  
"It's a great egret !" the two women whispered at the same time, in perfect unison.  
  
_Ooh ! She likes birds too !_  
  
The egret flew past them about twenty meters away, heading to their left. The moves of its wings were full of power and grace, but at such a low speed that one had to wonder how so big a bird could maintain a perfect course, so smoothly, without the slightest wiggle.  
  
As the bird was about to reach a clump of high herbs, now some two hundred meters from Nicole and Waverly, it glided down to land, and disappeared.  
  
Grinning, Waverly turned to Nicole, who was now looking at her with a big, soft smile. Looking in each other's eyes, they shared without a word the joy to watch such a simple beauty. Waverly realized she still held the forearm of the taller girl sitting at her side. She could feel lean and firm muscles under the soft, warm skin. She slowly loosened her hold, and felt a light tingle when the contact stopped.  
  
They parted their gazes, and the silence lingered for a peaceful minute. Waverly was dreamily taking in the landscape, taking note of the smells in the wind, a bit of bark and sap from the trees, and a bit of dusty and a bit of damp from the soil, and a bit of sugary vanilla coming from the redhead close to her, looking at the sun still well above the horizon, still a couple of hours before the sunset… _Shoot ! It's time to go !_ The brunette made an effort to shake away her reverie, she had to get back to the town for her shift at Shorty's.  
  
"Nicole. Hum, I'm sorry, but I have to leave, you know, you told me you would drive me back…" she said.  
  
Nicole took a few seconds to come back from her how thoughts, then stood up. "Of course ! Shall we go right now ? I just need to make sure I've got the keys of the community center with me, I think I left them in the glovebox…" she trailed away as she began to make towards her car.  
  
Waverly followed Nicole to the station wagon. A few steps behind, she could appreciate the tall archaeologist's walk. She was fit, with strong but slim, long legs.  
  
Waverly's brain really made something like the ripping noise of a needle scratching a vinyl record. Nicole was making her feel… interested. It was not a neutral gauging glance from a woman to another, she had just been male-gazing Nicole. _Well, first of all, technically I was female-gazing,_ she thought, unsettled.  
  
Nicole walked along the passenger's side of her car, and opened the front door. She looked quickly into the glovebox, pocketed the keys she was looking for, then stood waiting, still holding the door.  
  
"My pleasure, milady !" Nicole said, with the stiff nod of a butler in a period drama, then with a wide smile showing her charming dimples, as Waverly got into the car.  
  
Nicole sat in the driver's seat and started the car. They drove in a comfortable silence towards the camp. Lowering her eyes, Waverly saw the bag she had left in the car.  
  
"What about a little muffin, Nicole ?" Waverly proposed, "I bake them myself… it's basil flavored, so I don't know if you like basil…"  
  
"I love basil, but I'm not used to taste it in a muffin. I think I'll try it !" Nicole said.  
  
Waverly looked carefully at Nicole when she took her first bite. She saw the taller woman's eyes open wide, and she moaned.  
  
"It's very good ! Very good, Waverly ! Gosh !" Nicole said to the brunette, who was inwardly bowing to a cheering crowd, a toque on her head…  
  
When they reached the camp, they saw Doc apparently struggling with the tipi cover, moving the fabric to avoid wrinkles.  
  
"Going back to Purgatory !" Nicole yelled to Jeremy who was walking between two huts with his left arm passed through several rolls of electrical wiring of different colors. Jeremy just waved in return.  
  
"So what do you think of all this, Waverly ?" she asked after a few more minutes of silent driving. "You seem to be in a pensive mood, suddenly."  
  
"I think your camp is quite big. When will all the students arrive ?" Waverly asked, disclosing only a part of her reflections.  
  
"Tomorrow is Friday, and I'll be waiting for only two more persons to come. The beginning of the weekend will be quiet, but between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, about thirty people are going to show up. If I remember well, we are supposed to be thirty-seven on Monday evening, but there will probably be some unexpected changes. Some will call to say they will make it only on Tuesday, some others won't show up at all. We'll see…"  
  
"So I suppose Shorty's will be full of Indiana Jones wannabes on Monday, then !" Waverly teased.  
  
"Hey ! Do I look like an Indiana Jones wannabe ?"  
  
"Well, there's your hat…" Waverly said with a cheeky grin.  
  
"It's not the same hat ! Indiana Jones doesn't have a stetson ! Ah !"  
  
"Yeah, yeah ! Big difference !"  
  
"You don't like my hat."  
  
"No. I like your hat, Nicole. It's just that… I'm wondering why you wear this type of hat."  
  
"Well, I probably love a bit too much western films, and a big hat is a good thing when you work outdoors, you know. If you come to see us when everybody will be here, you will see every kind of hats : baseball caps, berets, straw hats, bucket hats, you name it ! Once, I worked with a gal who had an Asian hat, you know, like in the documentaries about the rice fields." Nicole said.  
  
"You mean one of those conical hats ?" Waverly asked.  
  
"Yes. She said it was very comfortable and practical. I remember that when it was very hot, she poured water on it from her bottle, to cool the brain, she always said. And by the way," Nicole added with a more serious tone, "I really hope you will come back to see us."  
  
"Oh, I probably will. I had a good time." Waverly answered quickly. The rest of the ride to town was spent speaking about a few eccentric archaeologists Nicole had worked with, especially those sporting uncommon clothes. Diggers seemed to be quite often unconventional people, and Nicole had a very funny way to describe the most bizarre ones.  
  
Now they were entering the town, and soon enough Nicole stopped the car in front of Shorty's saloon.  
  
Waverly opened her door, "Do you fancy a drink inside ?" she asked Nicole, and she saw her hesitate, but Nicole finally shook her head with a half-smile. _No dimples this time,_ Waverly noted.  
  
"Well, then thanks again for showing me the site, Nicole, and for the ride, too ! Hope to see you around soon !"  
  
"It was a pleasure, Waverly. Good evening." Nicole said.  
  
And then she left.  
  
Waverly watched the car going away, feeling a bit disappointed by this rather abrupt end to a pleasant excursion.  
  
Then she turned towards the saloon's doors, and walked inside with a big smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has one of the scenes I really like in this story. I imagined a few more that are still to come. I hope you enjoy my work ! Love to you-all.


	6. Lady truck driver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rosita and Lonnie arrive with a truck. Nicole has a crush, and Doc knows too much.

Many, many things to do today, and again tomorrow, but for the moment Nicole was focusing on the sensation in her neck, her still damp hair kept cool by the morning wind. Her hands were warm around her coffee cup, and she was looking at the scenery around the camp, and at Doc across the table. He had emerged from his tipi just as she came back from her morning run. She still had a lot to discover about the tracks around the camp, some roads used by farmers, some paths in the wilderness that often were dead-ends, ending in bogs or disappearing in the shrubs.  
  
"A very pleasant morning, I must say, Nicole. Was the shower as invigorating as your early jog ?" the tall man in front of her said, bringing her back from her musings.  
  
"It was, thank you," Nicole answered, not willing to complain about the tepid water. "What about your night ?"  
  
"Oh, my sleep was deep and I woke to the sounds of nature, what more can a man ask for ? In only a few days, there will be much agitation around here. So we are waiting for Rosita and this other guy, with the big truck. At what time are they supposed to reach our humble settlement ?" Doc enquired.  
  
"The time is as early as possible, it's not very definite I know…" Nicole replied. She didn't feel like going into long explanations before the caffeine kicked in.  
  
"I'm looking forward to seeing Rosita Bustillos again, it has been about a year since we last worked together," Doc said, gazing at the horizon just like he had known her in another life. "The other fellow - Loony is it ? - I know nothing about, I must confess."  
  
"His name is Lonnie, and I don't know much about him. Lucado told me that he is a well meaning guy, which sounded a bit weird. Where did you meet Bustillos ?"  
  
"You will soon call her Rosita, like everybody else - not really a sweet girl, mind you, but a dependable one. I don't really remember where we met for the first time. We have been together on about half a dozen digs."  
  
Voices were coming their way, and they looked to the buildings as Jeremy and Dolls appeared, walking at some distance and talking animatedly about the main technical issue of the moment : no phone, no internet.  
  
"So I guess the internet is still not working ?" Nicole asked loudly, waving her arm to make them approach.  
  
"No, it isn't. I spent most of the night testing the hardware, and it works." Jeremy Chetri asserted, and his strained face showed indeed that he had no slept much. He looked tired, but still had this spark in his eyes that rarely left them. "It's a programming issue, and at this stage, I basically need the internet to help me put together the internet."  
  
"Excuse us laymen, but what do you mean exactly ?" Dolls interjected.  
  
"I need to get somewhere with good internet connexion, to consult people and documentation, and test the relay. When it's working, I come back here, I reboot the relay, and we have warp-speed wifi, it will be internet-a-palooza. I expect a Seoul-grade connexion !" Jeremy said, smiling in anticipation.  
  
"So you need someone to drive you to Purgatory." In Nicole's brain, a Las Vegas-sized neon sign had lit. It read Pretext To Get In Touch With Waverly. _Shorty's must have wifi. It has to have wifi._  
  
"We can get you there later in the morning." Nicole went on. "My plan is : we wait for the truck, we unload it, and when we go back to Big City to find supplies for Doc, we drop you en route at Shorty's saloon…"  
  
"Yeah ! Muffins !" Jeremy shouted, spooking everyone.  
  
"And then we get you back… when we come back, I reckon. That means several hours in the saloon. If they have wifi…" Nicole trailed off.  
  
"Hey, Jeremy, why did you shout something about muffins ?" Dolls asked.  
  
"There's a girl that works there, she makes the best muffins…" Jeremy said. "Yeah, I tasted them too, they are out of this world !" Nicole said perhaps a bit to fast. She cleared her throat. "So Doc, we are speaking of tables and benches for the open-air dining area," she said nodding towards Dolls, "can you guys think about anything else ?"  
  
"We need a shelter, and probably storage boxes at the site." Doc answered immediately. "Do you remember the Grassy Lake diggings ?" he asked, reclining on his chair. "Two solid weeks of rain and twenty fine men and women huddling together under a tarpaulin ! Oh what a joy it was ! But still I'd rather avoid a similar fate here. Don't you ? The practical thing to do is to have at least one big strong shelter right next to the excavation, and since it seems that we can't get one there, we have to build it. And we must be able to move it if we have to… it as to be dismantled easily."  
  
"OK, Doc. You are in charge of the design, we all know you're the best here for this task. What supplies do we need to get to make all this ? I want a list, and I want it before the end of the morning, so we can go to Big City this afternoon with the truck. And that way tomorrow we will only have to fetch what we will have forgotten."  
  
"A list ? You didn't even say please, I must point out…" Doc said, smirking.  
  
"OK." Nicole took a breath and, with the booming voice of an herald in a cheesy medieval movie : "All hail Doc-the-Builder, whose upper lip no one ever saw, and please let him be magnanimous enough to bestow on us his Sacred List of Supplies !"  
  
Nicole was pleased to see that Jeremy and Dolls played along, whining loudly like supplicants.  
  
Doc couldn't help laughing. "That will be enough praise, Nicole Haught, and you too, my dear fools. Tables, benches, shelter, storage trunks… I need an hour or so without disturbance, and there will not be anything forgotten." He filled again his mug with coffee, and walked back to his tipi.  
  
After both Dolls and Jeremy excused themselves and went to their own businesses, Nicole decided to drive to the potholes. The potholes on the road to the site, that she wanted to have mended, but how exactly ? She was looking at a nasty cleft made by rainwater that threatened to turn into a canyon if the weather turned bad, when her phone ringed. Lucado.  
  
"Hello, Professor Lucado," Nicole said. "Where are you ?"  
  
"Er, for the moment I'm in Big City, I have some work to do at the university. Listen, you told me you had many contacts in Purgatory, right ?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Nicole answered carefully. _Where is this heading ?_  
  
"I told you I have rented a room in town, in a house owned by the Blanks, Gareth and Bill Blank. Do you know them ?"  
  
"No, ma'am", Nicole said again, wondering if her boss expected her really to know already the whole population of Purgatory.  
  
"I spent the night there, and it won't do, finally. It's too noisy. Perhaps you know people in town that could find another place for me ?" Lucado said casually, as if Nicole was her personal assistant.  
  
"Well I sure can ask, professor," Nicole replied. _And suddenly it's a good thing to mingle with the locals, eh ?_ "I'll try to find you a proper accommodation," she went on, trying to sound calm and confident. The Pretext neon sign was lit again. Nicole had barely enough mental strength not to run to her car, yelling "I go fix that now !" into her phone, and drive at full throttle on the road to Purgatory. Her attraction to the petite brunette was something unusual, that she found hard to keep under control.  
  
However, Lucado's problem was not really urgent. And Nicole felt a growing dislike of her boss. After all she could sleep at the camp, too… And by the way, if she had slept in Purgatory last night, how come that they had not seen her ? Nicole decided to put aside this mystery for the time being.  
  
"We plan to go to Big City today, too, Professor," Nicole told Lucado, beginning to explain what they intended to achieve before the weekend. But the redhead soon realized that her boss was not feeling any interest anymore in the conversation, only dropping random monosyllabic words, uhs, hums, and yeahs, from time to time. When they were face to face, she was hypnotized by her phone, and when they were speaking on the phone, what was she was doing ? _So much for my delusion of being entrancing,_ Nicole thought. The call ended with vague hints from Lucado about coming on the next day.  
  
  
It took one more full hour before the truck they were waiting for finally made its way into the camp. The driver got out of the cab first. She was a brown-haired woman, apparently very pissed. She walked briskly to Nicole, introducing herself :  
  
"You must be Nicole ? I'm Rosita. Hello. We're are a little late, my copilot had problems with the navigation." she said, rolling her eyes. "Let me guess, Doc is inside this thing over there…" she said, pointing to the tipi.  
  
"You're right ! Welcome here, Rosita !" Nicole said, but the woman was already gone, treading angrily to the tipi. _Well, another success for my magnetic self, I'm at the top of my game today,_ Nicole mused. She approached the truck, going to the passenger door.  
  
"Hello, you are Lonnie, aren't you ?" He was. The man was absorbed in the study of a road map.  
  
"Rosita told me you had problems finding your way ?"  
  
"Yeah, we got lost two or three times." Lonnie answered quietly. "But the maps are bad, and I couldn't zoom on my phone's GPS…"  
  
"Okay, we now have to unload this truck", Nicole said, eager to move on. "But you should go over there, in the kitchen, and ask Dolls to show you your room." She shouted to call Doc, and opened the back doors of the truck. It was full of working gear, wheelbarrows, racks of shovels, bags of trowels, hard hats… A digger's treasure.  
  
Doc soon came and helped her taking everything out of the truck.  
"I daresay Rosita will reappear only after a little rest, if it's not too much inconvenience," he said.  
"I did think about this shelter we have to build…" Doc added. "I have been on a lot of excavations in my long life, so you have to answer only one question, Nicole : do we have the money to actually buy building materials, or will we rely on scavenging, begging and petty theft, as we archaeologists usually do ?  
  
"Well, Doc, we are in luck, in fact we are in the best situation we could imagine, for I've got money and an absentee supervisor."  
  
"Money… that is indeed a rare thing in our line of work, I have to admit." Doc said pensively. "You know, I wanted so much to experience utter lack of funds in my job that I once thought that I would have to go on the stage and become a starving actor. But archaeology does the trick, too."  
  
"And we don't get annoyed by fans, or celebrity… That's a relief !" Nicole joked along.  
  
"Indeed it is. Do you know, Nicole, that I plan to spend my next vacation at the bottom of a well to ensure I get all the loneliness and obscurity I crave ? As for our dear Professor Lucado, spending the summer with us was probably not her first choice…" Doc said finally.  
  
  
  
It was almost noon when they finally reached Purgatory on the way to Big City. Nicole was driving the truck, not even willing to know what Doc could do if he took the wheel. John Henry 'Doc' Holliday had many talents, knew many trades and crafts, but car mechanic was not among them, and he was a terrible driver. Jeremy was on the third seat of the cab, a cardboard box on his knees containing a dozen of electronic appliances. The young technician didn't seem to be able to drive any vehicle, a very distinctive attribute among the general population of Alberta.  
  
They parked the truck and went into Shorty's. The landlord was there, helped by a grey-haired lady that Nicole didn't know. The redhead was disappointed when she realized that her favorite hazel-eyed bartender was nowhere to be seem in the room. After asking if wifi was available in the saloon, and it was, Jeremy found himself a comfortable booth and opened his laptop, already looking for a solution to their problem.  
  
"We don't have much time, Nicole, we should get going to Big City right now." Doc said behind Nicole, with a soft, slow voice.  
  
_He knows._ Nicole understood it would be pointless to argue with Doc, who clearly had psychic abilities. How did Doc know about her little crush, and since when ? _Since yesterday, first second he saw us, dummy ! Your cunning plan to lure Jeremy and Doc to the saloon to get an excuse to come and see Waverly was transparent._ Doc was not the kind of guy who would tease, or mock her about this, but now he had to recall her to the job they had to do. _And he reads me well enough to understand that I'm ready to waste hours in this place, asking everybody where Waverly is. He knows that too. I'm busted !_  
  
It was a reluctant Nicole that climbed back into the truck and left for Big City with his mustachioed companion. Doc was good-hearted enough not to say anything for about half an hour, until he finally began to comment on the music that was playing on the somewhat antique radio of the truck, a topic that was safely remote from any conjecture about Nicole's sudden interest in a certain resident of Purgatory.  
  
Clenching the steering wheel a little bit more than necessary, Nicole was asking herself many questions. Would they find everything they needed at the hardware stores they were going to visit ? Would Doc be reasonable ? If he had his way, he would soon build a wooden version of Toronto's CN Tower to install his buddy's internet relay, and Nicole just knew he was going to squeeze materials for a few special projects in today's errands. Would the final cost be acceptable ? Would Lucado turn into a meddling accountant after a full week spent avoiding her responsibilities ?  
  
And when would be the next time Nicole would be able to slunk off to Shorty's saloon ?  
  
_Well,_ the young woman thought, her eyes fixed on the road, _that sure is a lousy cliffhanger…_


	7. Falling in love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clickbait summary : Waverly stalks a certain redhead in the supermarket, then attempts to knock her out with groceries and canned foods. Said redhead's only weapons are a dimpled smile and muscles of steel. This chapter will shock you !

As if the summer was a bit lazy and not willing to give its full force so early, it was almost ten o'clock, and Waverly was forced to bundle herself up in a sweater and a huge coat. To tell the truth, the sweater was a crop top… but it would be super adequate for the afternoon's weather. Right now, however, the brisk wind that was blowing in Purgatory's streets was a bit too cold. The walk on the parking lot between her Jeep and the entrance of the supermarket had even made her regret not to have taken a big scarf.  
  
Waverly hadn't been seriously buying groceries since quite a long time. Those last weeks it had only been quick passages to get this or that, but today she had spent some time carefully thinking about all that she had to buy. Her list, organized by aisles, was testimony to her planner abilities.  
  
Her shopping cart was filling slowly, fresh and preserved food, lost of beverages, shampoo, candles, she was going to refill her cupboards for good !  
  
A flash of red at the other end of the aisle made her stop dead in her tracks. Was it Nicole ? Was it this tall archaeologist she had spent such a good time with the other day ? Whoever it was, they had moved to the right. Like a huntress circling her prey, she went back to her end of the aisle and looked quickly on the other side of the gondola, right before hiding back behind the endcap.  
  
_Nicole Haught ! Nicole Haught shopping !_  
  
_Okay, Waverly, keep a cool head, it's not the more newsworthy event of the year…_ Waverly glanced around, but no one was watching her while she was making a fool of herself, crouching behind canned food. _Beans and meatballs,_ she noted. _It will be an interesting detail when I'll be writing my memoirs : Thrill and Shame, My Hunts in Albertan Shops, by Waverly Earp._ Precisely hunting Nicole Haught in the convenience food aisle. An exciting setting for a great chapter.  
  
Looking gingerly around the endcap, Waverly saw that her prey was gone ! She went to the place that Nicole Haught had just left, and came closer to the display offering instant soups. So Nicole liked this kind of food… Waverly was happy to learn another fact about the intriguing redhead. She began to read the labels on several cups, comparing ingredients.  
  
"Do you like it mild or spicy ?" she heard suddenly in her back. She yelped and dropped the two ramen cups she was holding, looking over her shoulder to see the smiling face of Nicole, very, very close to her own. In fact, her nose was brushed by Nicole's woolen scarf, because of their height difference. It smelt vanilla dipped donuts, the redhead signature scent.  
  
"Sorry to startle you, but I had the impression you were following me, weren't you ?" Nicole said, smirking, and already bending to fetch the cups that had rolled on the shop's floor, handing them to Waverly.  
  
"Okay, you caught me !" Waverly shot back. She didn't feel like denying what she had been doing, and Nicole didn't seem angry with her. It was amusement that she could read in the tall woman's eyes. She put back the soups back on the shelf. "So you like ramen noodle ? You know you can easily cook yourself much better soups than that, Nicole, without fuss," she added, trying not to sound too disapproving.  
  
"Hey, you found out my darkest secret, I like noodle soups ! Please, please don't tell anybody, especially Dolls, he already saw me eating one of those on the first day we met, and if he learns that I was buying some more, he will probably try to kill me with his glare." Nicole had a pleading tone, but she was clearly enjoying this moment.  
  
Waverly decided to play along.  
  
"Aha ! So now I can do a little blackmail. If you don't want me to tell everybody about your shameful deeds, you'll have to accompany me back to Shorty's to help me haul all this," she said gesturing to the content of her cart, "into my apartment above the bar. If you accept, I can offer you a tea, or even a cappuccino, if you are a cappuccino-only girl ?"  
  
"First, I'm not a cappuccino-only girl. Secondly, Ms Earp, you should be ashamed to coerce a poor girl like me into helping you." Nicole said. She paused. "A tea with you will be perfectly fine, and if you want my help, then all you have to do is ask for it, Waverly," she added, with an earnest tone that drove right into the small brunette's heart.  
  
"I just need to take a few more things here, and it will be okay," Waverly said, choosing to keep her own tone matter-of-fact. "What about you, Nicole ? And are you sure you've got the time to help me ?"  
  
She was not ready to acknowledge the weird feeling she had when she was with Nicole Haught. There was something impressive in this woman, her presence was strong but not threatening, and she seemed full of kindness. Nicole felt… right.  
  
"Almost finished too, ma'am !" Nicole said, "and I'm here precisely because I have some free time this morning. So I only went to the hospital and then here shopping"  
  
"What's happening ?" Waverly interjected, looking at Nicole and failing to find any wound or bandage. "Are you hurt ? Why did you have to go to the hospital ?"  
  
"Oh no, don't worry, I went there for nothing. I mean, I wanted to know the way. Each time, at every dig, I learn to get fast to the hospital, so today I saw where the entrances are, the way to ER… It's very important. Accidents are not uncommon on an archaeological digging, it's a pretty dangerous job. I prefer to be prepared."  
  
"It's a relief !" Waverly sighed. "And you're very serious concerning your job, aren't you ?"  
  
"Yes, I suppose I am, Waverly. Shall we go on with the shopping ?"  
  
"Yes. So tell me, what is your favorite soup flavor, Nicole ? I'll tell you mine first, it's sweet-and-sour with a dollop of peanut butter, and now you know my own darkest secret too !" Waverly said, bumping the smiling redhead with her shoulder.  
  


  
  
About twenty minutes later, Waverly and Nicole came into Shorty's saloon, carrying big bags full of the brunette's shopping. The bar was manned by a woman. Nicole recognized her as the one that was working with Shorty the day before, when she had dropped Jeremy at the bar with his bulky wifi paraphernalia. Waverly made the presentations :  
  
"Nicole, this is Gus, my aunt," she said, "and this is Nicole Haught, the ramrod of the archaeological diggings, I told you about her." She winked at Nicole to soften the blow of calling her a ramrod, adding her best smile for good mesure. Nicole seemed to respond well to her smiles.  
  
"Hello, Gus, I'm happy to meet you," Nicole said, shaking hands with Gus. "I am indeed the taskmistress of the excavations. Diggers will work. So it shall be written, so it shall be done," she said with solemnity, her fists on her hips, looking straight in the distance.  
  
"Hey, you're quoting The Ten Commandments !" Waverly interjected, aware that Nicole was mimicking Yul Brynner. "Do you like old movies ?"  
  
"I generally do. The Ten Commandments are quite something, don't you think ? The sets, the costumes, every single actor chewing the scenery !"  
  
"Yes, it's true, everything is over the top !" Waverly giggled. _It's too good to be true,_ she thought. _Perhaps I could propose her to watch classic movies with me ?_  
  
"Since we are here," Nicole said thoughtfully, "I would like to ask you something, to you, Waverly, and to you too, Gus. My boss has rented a room in Purgatory for the summer, but she told me it's too noisy and asked me to look for something else for her. She was… let me remember the names… with two people named Bill and Gareth…  
  
Waverly couldn't help laughing, and Gus was laughing too. "The Blanks !" the older woman said. "Your boss has been scammed," she went on, "no one can sleep at the Blank estate !"  
  
"No one sleeps near it either !" Waverly put in. "Bill and Gareth have been married since an eternity and they have always been arguing all day long. And at night too ! They are now pretty deaf, both of them, and they yell so much Shorty once told them that he didn't want them together in the bar. If one is already in there, usually it's Bill, and if his wife comes in, they must at once exit the saloon. Gareth was making us lose too much customers, she has a shrieking voice like a cartoon witch. Without her husband, she quite OK to have here, though…"  
  
"I suppose they argue and also watch television at home. I can imagine the sound level ! We could look for some other place for your boss, ask around, yeah," Gus said. "Now just let me work, girls, and go put your groceries in the apartment."  
  
Waverly nodded for Nicole to come with her. Smiling at Gus, the red-haired woman grabbed back the two bags she had left for an instant on the counter and followed her.  
  
"Say, Dolls is supposed to build a massive barbecue outside his kitchen, and we have to test it for our lunch tomorrow before Monday's rush. Nothing fancy… would you like to come ?" Nicole asked from behind Waverly's back as the two young women were climbing the stairs.  
  
A barbecue ! Tomorrow's weather was supposed to be quite sunny, it was a good idea !  
  
"Yeah, thank you for inviting me, I will be gladly there !" Waverly said, turning towards Nicole while still going up.  
  
And she stumbled into Nicole. Or more accurately hurled herself into Nicole.  
  
_The slanted step !_ In a mere second, she cursed herself, cursed Shorty for not repairing the stairs, and cursed destiny. She saw Nicole, as quick as a flash, put the bag she had in her right arm with the other one, on her left arm, in the same time rising her right foot on the wall, putting her left hip against the baluster for support. Nicole stopped the smaller woman's body on her right leg and arm, withstanding firmly the impact in spite of several items hitting her out of Waverly's bags.  
  
"Fudgenuggets !" was all that Waverly said, watching her groceries still crashing down the stairs as Nicole arm held her securely.  
  
"Hey !" Gus hollered, "What's happening ?"  
  
"It's OK, Gus !" Waverly shouted back, still clinging to Nicole. The taller woman was very strong, she could feel it against her own body. She stood back up, full of gratitude. Nicole was still holding her two bags.  
  
"Oh no, Nicole, you're bleeding !" Waverly said, pointing at Nicole's forehead.  
  
Nicole touched her brow. She winced when she felt the little wound. "I think it was a can," she said to the brunette.  
  
"Come upstairs, Nicole, wait a minute, I open the door, the keys, the keys, ah ! Okay !" Waverly rambled, guiding Nicole into her apartment. "On your right, it's the kitchen, leave your bags on the table, sit on this chair. Wait here, I grab the groceries that felt, and I come back to treat you, okay ? Don't move, I'll be right back !".  
  
Waverly spent about two frantic minutes grabbing the fallen groceries and going back to her place with them. She found Nicole standing in the kitchen, dabbing her forehead with a paper towel. "Nicole, sit down. What if you faint ?" she said, concerned.  
  
"Come on, Waverly, I won't faint. All I need is something to disinfect, and a Band-Aid. And a cup of tea, do you remember ? You promised," the redhead shot back, cocking her head and smiling.  
  
Waverly understood that Nicole was trying to lighten her mood. She went quickly into her bathroom to fetch her first aid kit, and began to tend to Nicole's wound after making her sit again. Nicole was right, it was only a little cut, but she took all the time she needed to make sure it was perfectly clean. So close to Nicole, she couldn't fail to notice every detail of her face, her pale and soft skin, those tiny dimples that appeared on her cheeks each time her new friend was expecting Waverly to touch her near her wound.  
  
"Don't worry Nicole," the small brunette breathed, "I try to be as light as a feather. You should have let me fall, look at your brow, I'm so sorry you were hurt because of me !"  
  
"If I had let you fall down the stairs, you would have been hurt very badly. I didn't want to go back to the hospital so soon for you, and I only got a scratch," the tall redhead said, looking into Waverly's eyes. Waverly was still thinking about the moment when she was leaning against Nicole's body in the stairs. She knew well what she had felt. Attraction. She was nervous as she applied a bandage with the utmost care, her fingers were shaking slightly. _Waverly, calm yourself._ Her ears were feeling hot. _I must be red as a beet._ Nicole was still looking at her…  
  
"Okay, done ! What about I make that tea, now ?" Waverly said, very aware of her somewhat squeaky tone. She danced around her kitchen, preparing everything, and starting a conversation about movies. As they shared their common interest in old movies, moving ones and cheesy ones, she felt more relaxed and noticed with great pleasure that Nicole was less tense, too, discarding her scarf, then her vest, leaning on the back of her chair and soon putting her long legs to rest on another chair. As they drank their tea slowly, Waverly couldn't help but stare at Nicole blowing softly on the surface to cool it down. She had beautiful lips. She forced herself to look instead at the archaeologist forehead, were a little dot of blood was showing through the bandage. _Greeting your visitors with a traumatic brain injury, that's how it must be done !_ A great welcome for Nicole's first visit at her place.  
  


 

  
As they were parting finally a few minutes later, Waverly decided to walk down to the saloon with her victim, as she called her. As they were going down the stairs, they both noticed a trace left by Nicole's foot on the wall. She was beginning to apologize about it when Waverly silenced her, simply placing gently her hand on her friend's arm and stroking it.  
  
"Oh, Nicole, you know, about tomorrow, is it a problem if I come with a plus-one ?" Waverly asked when they reached the kitchen back door. "My boyfriend, Champ… we have nothing scheduled, but if I tell him I go to your barbecue, perhaps he will want to tag along…" Waverly explained, feeling awkward. She had had a good time at the camp on her first visit, and she was sure it was going to be interesting to discover a bit more about the other diggers. But she just knew that Champ would only embarrass her.  
  
"It's not a problem at all, Waves ! We will be happy to meet your boyfriend if he comes ! Not a problem at all ! See you !" Nicole said with a fully dimpled smile, before walking away to her car.  
  
Nicole had smiled while saying it was okay to help her carry her shopping, and later when she was casually dismissing a can in her face as something unimportant. But this smile was fake. Nicole was lying right now, and Waverly knew it.  
  
_It's strange, she doesn't even know Champ…_


	8. Saturday Savior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly questions her relationship with her lover Champ Hardy.

It was later that day in the afternoon that Waverly found Nicole's scarf on the kitchen floor. It had slipped from the chair as they were drinking tea and chatting, and the archaeologist had forgotten it when she had left, since the weather was so much better than in the early morning. It was a simple scarf, but it had this sugary vanilla scent that was so good, Nicole Haught's perfume, no doubt. Breathing in through the fabric, Waverly felt at ease. She put the scarf on her little table, and decided not to call Nicole. The archaeologist's number was still behind the saloon's bar, just under her apartment, but there was no use to call her, especially since Waverly was supposed to meet her the following morning for lunch at the camp. It would be much easier and practical to bring the scarf to the barbecue, no real need to hurry, there had been enough emergency between her and Nicole with their acrobatics duet in the stairs.  
  
She took back the scarf in her hands, burying her nose in it, and she inspired once again the scent. It was so good ! If the plan was to give it back the next day, it was logical to use this scarf for the best until then, for example to alleviate stress after her Saturday evening shift. She would certainly have a better sleep tonight if she could drift into dreamland with the fragrance of vanilla dipped donuts around her…  
  
That's how Waverly persuaded herself it would be very normal to spend the night with Nicole's scarf in her bed.  
  
  
  
The Saturday night shift had been packed with customers and rowdy, as usual. When it ended, finally, Waverly was left alone in the deserted bar, listening to the cars of Shorty and Gus starting in the back door parking lot of the saloon and leaving in the night.  
  
Back in her apartment over the saloon, she was relieved to take off her shoes. She didn't feel like going to bed right away, so she made herself a light tea, sat in front of her laptop and began to peruse an article about trading posts in ancient Mesopotamia. Her mind drifted to the diggings that were to begin in the next days in her home town of Purgatory, of all places ! Could it be a settlement used by merchants ? The ancient nations that lived in the Great Plains were not as isolated and backwards as many people thought.  
  
She was interrupted by a call on her phone. So late in the night, it could be only one person…  
  
"Champ ! Hello !" she chirped. _A booty call from the boy-man…_ Waverly recalled the term coined by Nicole, it fitted Champ like a glove.  
  
Her boyfriend simply told her he was at her door. She put back her shoes, wincing, went down the stairs, through the bar, into the kitchen, and opened the back door.  
  
"Hello, babe," Champ said, smiling but standing slightly slanted, his eyes in a haze. He made a step forward and kissed Waverly's lips. His breath was a mix, lots of vodka and a few mints. He put one arm around her shoulders, already beginning to grope her with his free hand. Waverly averted her eyes, looking past him as she pushed gently to free herself.  
  
"Do you have a feud with Mother Nature, Champ ? Why didn't you turn off your engine ?" Waverly asked, noticing that Champ's pickup truck was idling on the small parking lot, near her own Jeep.  
  
The young man looked behind him and walked slowly to his car. He patted his pockets, looking worried, then nodded, opened his car's door, and reached over to shut the motor off. _Was he looking for his ignition key ? Did he forget it was obviously in the truck and not in his pocket, since the engine was running ? Champ, you're baked._  
  
"I suppose there was nothing left to drink where you come from, isn't it, Champ ?" she said, but Champ was already coming back and entering the kitchen, almost pushing aside the small brunette. "Hey, Champ, would you care to talk to me ? How was your day ?" she asked, locking again the door and walking behind him. _He doesn't act like his usual drunk self._ Had Champ been taking something else than alcohol ?  
  
"Where were you ?" Waverly asked again.  
  
"I went to Marcus' place, we had a few beers…" Champ said. He was slurring his words. _Marcus the rodeo clown._ Waverly didn't like Marcus, a thirty-something lout, one of the friends Champ had made in the regional rodeo circuit. Marcus worked on a cattle lot some fifty kilometers from Purgatory, and like many rodeo clowns, Marco had first tried to be a real rodeo champion, before he had got too many injuries to go on trying, and not enough sense to leave completely the industry. Truth be told, Marcus had an IQ slightly above the average horse. Waverly was beginning to think about a few horses she knew that were clearly more intelligent than Marcus, when she spotted her boyfriend gazing at the bottles shelved on the wall.  
  
"No, Champ, I believe you drank enough for tonight," she said. "By the way, do you remember I told you about those archaeologists that are going to work here this summer ?" she went on, trying to change Champ's train of thought and to make him think about the next day instead of the next drink. "Well, their camp is almost ready, and they are planning a lunch tomorrow."  
  
"I don't care about those damn archao… archielo… shit ! They make their holes, I don't care, looking for old stuff. They will dig up dinosaur bones with feather bonnets… hey !" he said, laughing, "you wanna see a bone…"  
  
_OK, so much for the diversion._  
  
"Look at the state you're in ! What happened to you tonight ? You had more than a few beers… Any surprise with Marcus ?" Waverly enquired. Partying with Marcus was always full of surprises, generally leading to costly damages to appliances, or wounds.  
  
"I had this interview with Nedley this afternoon…" Champ said with a sour face as Waverly began to lead the way towards her apartment. "We talked, and talked…" Champ had already been trying several times to get hired by the sheriff's office, and Nedley took charge each time to flunk him personally.  
  
"You didn't learn the regulations he told you to study, did you ?" Waverly asked calmly.  
  
"I read them !" he shouted. Waverly knew about his learning methods since their high school days. What he called reading was what other people called staring at a book. Champ would never work for the sheriff department, and it certainly was good news.  
  
"So you were angry, I guess. And you decided to run to your old pal Marcus…"  
  
"Yeah, and he wanted to go to the Pussy Willows…" Champ told after an hesitation.  
  
"So you're coming straight back from a strip joint, Champ Hardy !" Waverly interjected. "So this is why you didn't call earlier," she went on after a pause. "I would have heard the music, I would have guessed where you were !"  
  
Waverly looked at his boyfriend's face. He was cross about her disapproval. He had spent the evening leering at strippers, and soon he was going to say she was some kind of party pooper !  
  
"Hey, relax, baby. I just went there because it was Marcus' idea, you know. Come on, it's only you I want to see stripping."  
  
"Not likely to happen tonight… You're sleeping on the couch, Champ. Or in the bathtub, I don't really care." Waverly said, stomping off in the stairs. She was fuming, but still had enough focus to mind about the treacherous slanted step.  
  
"Hey, you're my girlfriend ! I get to be in your bed !" Champ hollered behind her, making her stop and roll her eyes in exasperation.  
  
"Am I really your girlfriend ? I think I'll have my say in this," Waverly said, "and frankly I do have second thoughts about that."  
  
"If you leave me, you'll be sorry. People only like you because you're with me. Without me, you're just a Earp girl," Champ sneered.  
  
Waverly was taken aback by such an statement, and she turned to face Champ that was a few steps lower than her, having a hard time climbing. She was preparing herself to answer to her very rude and despicable boyfriend when she saw him trip and fall harshly on the stairs.  
  
His clumsy effort to grasp the rail made him lose his balance completely, and he rolled down the whole flight of stairs, ouching loudly on his way.  
  
A part of Waverly registered that she should have been worrying about Champ, that she should have been rushing to comfort him and check if he had sustained any injury. But overwhelmingly, she was fed up. She had so much things in her life that she'd rather be doing than watching Champ Hardy proving again and again how much beneath her he was. _Metaphorically and literally,_ she thought as she was looking down at the boy-man squirming in pain on the floor.  
  
"Enough. You aren't even able to climb those stairs !" Waverly said, noticing that he had tripped right where Nicole had caught her in the morning. The mark of her foot on the wall was at the exact place where he had stumbled.  
  
"Hey, baby, I tripped." Champ slurred.  
  
"I said enough ! Get out, go sleep your booze off in your damn car, Champ. Go away !" Waverly hissed.  
  
"You can't ask me to…" Champ began, but Waverly was already reaching him, half helping him to stand, half walking him towards the back door of the saloon. She pushed and shoved Champ into the kitchen.  
  
"I said out, Champ !" she said, opening the door, sending off Champ into the night, and slamming the door.  
  
"Hey, open this damn door, Waverly !" she heard, Champ's voice a bit muffled through the steel, "I came to see you tonight because I love you, and you're acting like a bitch ! Ooh, you're not romantic enough, that's your fucking problem, you can't understand how much I…"  
  
Champ stopped talking suddenly with a huge sigh, and Waverly heard the unmistakable sound of vomit hitting the pavement. She shook her head. Her Sunday morning would begin with a mess to hose down just outside the kitchen. _And he could have been doing that in the middle of my apartment if I hadn't kicked him out !_  
  
Waverly realized that she wasn't feeling bad for leaving Champ in this state. She could still hear him, barfing again and again between moans, spilling out his stomach's content. When he would have emptied himself, he was going to do like any other drunk : he was going to settle in his car and sleep there for the rest of the night. Or he would have the very bad idea to drive away. But that was not her business anymore. She just hoped Champ and his truck would have vanished in the morning when she would have to leave for the barbecue. In fact she didn't want the boy-man to be there at all for tomorrow's lunch. Or perhaps she could sneak out early while he would still be passed out ! Her own car was parked near Champ's, but if she was quick and careful, he wouldn't wake up, and surely he wouldn't be able to follow her.  
  
She would have to make sure he didn't follow her, with a few tricks like in the movies !  
  
Preparing herself for sleep, Waverly planned her twisty itinerary for the morning.  
  
_I just hope Nicole and the rest of her bunch won't mind if I show up in advance…_


	9. Smokin' hot and tasty !

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the author's duty to inform you that this chapter's title refers only to the foods served at Dolls' first barbecue. Those who expect to find any double entendre in this are badly mistaken. Of course, lingering eyes, carnal desires and generally any kind of physical or emotional attraction are nowhere to be found in this sober, factual description of a Sunday lunch. Especially between the two main protagonists (namely Waverly and Nicole), who are not each other's type at all !

Nicole was finally seeing the end of her loop. She was feeling good after this long run, in spite of her fall. A dumb fall, on the treacherous slope of the hill, her left elbow was bruised but working and her left calf had stopped bleeding already. She was now rapidly reaching back the camp.  
  
_They are all still asleep I guess,_ she thought. _I'm an early bird running like a cheetah…_ Indeed she felt great, even as she gave an extra effort in the end, running just a bit more rapidly than it was comfortable for her in spite of her growing exhaustion. Nicole knew she would be sore afterwards, but the good kind of sore.  
  
A red car was parked near the restaurant building. _Waverly's Jeep._ Yes, she did recognize the bartender's ride. _So early in the morning ? No one sitting in the car…_  
  
Waverly was supposed to come much later, for the BBQ test meal scheduled on this last Sunday before the arrival of the diggers. The tall redhead couldn't guess why the very charming Purgatorian was so much ahead of schedule. _I hope Waverly doesn't have a problem,_ she thought. She slowed her pace in a few strides and stopped at a few meters of the car. Waverly was somewhere around, for sure. She looked right, then left. Then down at her soaked top and dirty shoes.  
  
_She's going to see me right at the end of a run. Doomed ! Must shower now !_ she thought, ready to bolt to her room to get some fresh clothes.  
  
She looked behind her, just to be sure. Waverly had apparently turned around a building and was now staring right at her, standing still, her eyes wide open in shock. Nicole knew she must be a awful sight.  
  
"Hello, Waverly," Nicole managed to say, catching her breath.  
  
"Good morning, Nicole, I hope I don't intrude too much. So early, surprise !" she said with her joyful sing-song. "I see you're running. Well you were gone running. I mean I came and I didn't want to wake up anybody so I was just waiting for someone to wake up…" she rambled with a sadder tone.  
  
The petite woman in front of Nicole was incredibly attractive. Her long hair in a tight bun, she complimented her fit legs today with a pair of short jeans and sturdy leather shoes. _She's ready for a bit of rough terrain, I like that,_ Nicole thought. Waverly wore also a red sleeveless top with tiny white polka dots, but that was not all. The devilishly seducing woman had decided to wear another shirt over it, a lacy one, the kind of loose shirts that slip constantly down over the shoulder. _Oh my,_ the tall redhead thought, _I will spend the day resisting the urge to put it back in place._  
  
"I was supposing you… were going to come later in… the morning, but it's a… pleasure to see you. Excuse me, I'm a… bit out of breath. Do you want some coffee ? Tea ?"  
  
"Yes, tea please," Waverly said as she walked closer to Nicole. "Hey, you're hurt !"  
  
"Just a scratch…" Nicole interjected, somewhat uneasy as Waverly was examining her legs. _Blood and sweat. And mud. I'm ready for the Miss Gutter pageant._  
  
"You're bleeding," Waverly said with a hushed voice. "Look at your leg ! And your arm is badly bruised. Oh, Nicole, you must be in pain !"  
  
"Really, Waverly, it's nothing… I assure you. It'll be gone in a few days," Nicole went on.  
  
The brunette was looking at Nicole, pondering. "It's like I bring you bad luck, you get hurt every time you meet me," Waverly added, pointing at the band-aid on the redhead's forehead.  
  
_Not speaking about my poor heart,_ Nicole mused.  
  
"The kitchen is this way, Waverly," Nicole gestured, keeping awkwardly at a distance from the smaller woman as she was litteraly dripping sweat, heavy drop making their way on her face before falling on the dirt. _Can I be any grosser ? I must not get sweat on her ! Red, huffing, I must be a vision… Let's speak about something else that body fluids and injuries._  
  
"Hey, Waverly !" Nicole asked suddenly as they reached the kitchen, "What about your boyfriend ? Is he coming along like you said ? He isn't here right now, is he ?"  
  
"No, he won't be here for the barbecue," Waverly replied with an awkward side glance, as she sat on a chair.  
  
Something pinged in Nicole's brain. _Does this boyfriend really exist ?_ Half registering it was some kind of cop instinct kicking in, the tall archaeologist made a quick review of the boy-man case : he was only hearsay from one single person. Not seen, not heard, the brunette had claimed once to be reading a text from him, but perhaps… Did Waverly invent herself a boyfriend ? _Well of course she did, she said she was in a relationship on our first encounter, to defend herself from your predatory behavior, Nicole Can't-Keep-It-In-Your-Pants Haught ! Now she's stuck with her lie, and she will give you some flimsy excuse to explain why he can't be seen today. Illness, job emergency, abducted by aliens…_ the tall woman pondered while she was putting the kettle on.  
  
"In fact, I think we split up last night." Waverly said with a small voice. _Not what I anticipated,_ Nicole thought.  
  
"I dumped him and it's probably for the better," the brunette went on, but her voice was shaking, and huge tears were forming in her eyes. _Hey ! Not what I anticipated at all ! Don't cry ! Well done, Haught, you wanted to change the mood, you did wonders !_  
  
Nicole sat quickly in front of Waverly, who was now sobbing. Nicole felt a lump forming in her own throat. She realized that she didn't want to see Waverly cry. _Quick, say something funny ! No, not funny, not a good time for funny ! Say something soothing, Haught !_  
  
A list of soothing lines presented itself in Nicole's mind, things about fishes in the ocean, true love still to be found, good and bad decisions… Nothing seemed useful right now. She simply took Waverly's hands in hers, and said : "I'm so sorry." They stayed a minute like this, Waverly slowly calming down, until the water was boiling. It was time to prepare the tea.  
  
"I'm sorry Nicole, I didn't mean to be so dramatic," Wavely said at last. "You know, you're the first person I see since I made Champ leave last night. I've been with him for years. You must think I'm dumb to be so sad about that. You barely know me, and I bother you with my shitty love life."  
  
Nicole was having an hard time keeping a cool head, so she was focusing on making the tea, lest she tried to hug Waverly back to happiness.  
  
"I see nothing dumb in you." Nicole stated. "It's the end of a story and of course you have the right to feel sad… Listen, I hate to have to leave you now but I have to shower. I promise you it'll be the quickest shower in history, OK ?"  
  
"Of course, Nicole, go, go !" Waverly said, her bright smile contradicted by her puffy eyes.  
  
Nicole came back five minutes later, much much cleaner. Waverly had obviously washed her face to make the traces of her tears disappear. Water droplets on the floor in front of the sink and discarded paper towels in the trash can confirmed Nicole's intuition.  
  
"Hey, you were quick ! This tea you made for me is very good, it's right what I had been needing to relax," the brunette said. "Nicole, are you sure I don't disturb you ? I could go back to Purgatory for a while and come back later." Waverly was again her bubbly but somewhat shy self.  
  
"Don't leave !" Nicole replied a bit too fast. _I must not show her I've got perhaps a tiny bit of a crush on her. Deflect, deflect !_ "Besides, I never gave you that tea. I didn't know you were here before this very instant ! Wait…" she paused, making a worried face, "Did you see me already this morning ? Someone looking like me gave you that tea ? I must tell you I have an evil twin, Waverly. Her name is Nicruel and she looks exactly like me, but she is bad, very bad ! Me, I'm Nicole, I'm the good twin, you can trust me," she said, with the best lunatic smile she could muster.  
  
The laugh of the smaller woman in front of her felt like a song to Nicole's ears. "Yeah, an evil twin. And how come you've got the same wounds that her ? On your leg, on your face. You can't fool me !"  
  
"You're too clever for me," Nicole said sheepishly, in spite of her malicious grin.  
  
A new tone, less gloomy, was set. Soon enough, Nicole went to her room again to fetch her laptop, and they sat side to side watching silly videos for some time, as the other members of the team began to show up in the kitchen. Lonnie was first, then Rosita. Dolls came a bit later, visibly having done his own morning run. It was about ten when a visibly hungover Doc made his way to the coffee. Jeremy was still missing. Probably a very late night again with whatever technical or nerdical thing he was engrossed in.  
  
"So you finally have good wifi here," Waverly said, pointing at the screen.  
  
"Yes, thanks to Jeremy ! Before that we were kinda low for phone signal. And if you go only a little more to the West, there are places were you can be assured you won't get a call." Nicole said.  
  
"Hey, perhaps that's the reason why the Blackfoot camped there, because they wanted at least minimal reception ?" Waverly said, sticking out the tip of her tongue as in intense reflexion.  
  
"That's a great explanation, Waverly… Still I would wait some time before sharing this theory with the others." They both laughed mirthfully.  
  
Around eleven, Dolls came back to basically expel the two young women from the kitchen, giving them vegetables to prepare for the BBQ. "Just go outside !", he said, and out they went, sitting at Doc's prototype of the dining tables and benches he was planning to make. Still giggling while they were peeling and slicing. Spending time with Waverly was doing wonders to Nicole's spirits, she just couldn't stop smiling. _She's having a good time too,_ she reflected, looking at the small brunette laughing eyes. Nicole was making an effort to refrain from ogling at the charming girl. And that damn lace shirt was dangling again off Waverly's shoulder !  
  
As everybody began to gather around Dolls' smoking barbecue, Nicole made a deliberate choice to busy herself and to leave Waverly alone, and naturally the bartender began to mingle effortlessly with everybody, including Jeremy who finally made his appearance. The Purgatorian announced proudly she had brought them banana muffins as a dessert. Nicole was hoping they were as good as the basil ones she had already tasted.  
  
Dolls barbecue proved to be a success. He tried various meats, fish and vegetables, served with plain white rice. He was using a painter's brush to lather what he was cooking with various spicy liquids he had prepared in the seclusion of the kitchen. It was finger-licking good. Attempts from several people to pry into his recipes where met generally with silence and cold stares. "Don't even think about imitating this. I am the secret sauce !" he said though, to Rosita who was asking for too much details.  
  
Waverly had a strange, mischievous smile when she produced a bag full of muffins from her car. She gave one each personally, and began to eat one herself, nodding in self-approval.  
  
Nicole looked down intently at the muffin she was now holding gently in her hand. It was soft, its color yellowish-brown, like a golden tan. Its shape was perfect, and Nicole just dove into it. She began with a small bite that made her realize the full softness of the muffin, along with the aroma of banana, butter and some other fragrances that made Nicole salivate. It tasted sweet and of course it tasted also like banana, but the whole flavor was dazzling, spicy and tropical, terribly enticing. Nicole took a bigger bite, gently tearing the cake open and she was surprised by a thick liquid that came oozing from the gap. Some of it fell on her chin, and she quickly removed it with her forefinger, and put it in her mouth. The muffin's pastry was really delicious, but this creamy filling was something else already. It felt like pure, strong fruity pleasure. Nicole was ravenous now. With an expert tongue, she licked some more of the filling, letting it melt on her tastebuds with a shiver of ease. A part of her was feeling a urge to devour the whole muffin this very instant, but another part of her knew better. _I must make it last, I must slow down,_ she decided.  
  
A loud moan on her left made her open her eyes. _When did I close them ?_ she wondered… The noise was coming out of Jeremy's stuffed mouth, he was literally writhing his body in delight.  
  
"Well, Miss Waverly, I must confess I am not usually partial to cakes and pastries, but this is indeed a food worthy of great praise !" Doc chimed in with his signature solemn drawl.  
  
Rosita was simply half eating, half laughing in joy.  
  
"It tastes like banana," Lonnie said.  
  
Dolls was just staring at Waverly with wide eyes, apparently he was trying to read her complete recipe directly in her brain, through her skull. He seemed a bit anxious, so he probably wasn't succeeding.  
  
"I hope it's not too bad ?" Waverly said coyly. Her eyes were full of pride, and she even had a little jump of excitement. Nicole wished she could make this minute stand still, with this perfectly happy, radiating woman in front of her. She shook her head. Soon Waverly was going to think again about her break-up. _Perhaps she'll mend things with this Champ boy, or find herself another lover. I will end up watching her fall in love again. We get on so well I'll even sit at the front row, but no popcorn._ It was Nicole's turn to feel depressed.  
  
The lunch ended, Doc and Rosita volunteering to do the dishes, Jeremy and Dolls discussing the best way to clean the barbecue. Nicole found herself seated face to face with Waverly, enjoying the sunny weather. Waverly asked if everything was ready for the diggers' arrival the next day, and Nicole began oversharing. The showers were working, but she had to say that hot water was coming in a thin stream, as she had experienced it again this morning trying to rinse quickly her tall frame. When she was sleeping in Purgatory's community center, she had those long showers at the high school, but now it was really too far. _I sound like a whiner,_ she thought, as Lonnie, who had vanished at the end of the meal, came back and sat at the table with a piece of paper Nicole recognized as the list of the camp's diggers.  
  
He was now reading and muttering.  
  
"What are you doing, Lonnie ?" Nicole felt compelled to ask.  
  
"I'm learning the names of the people coming here tomorrow," the young man answered. The two women looked at each other in bewilderment. What was the use to learn this by rote ? How much time was he going to stay here like a fly in the ointment ? _Two minutes to stay polite, and we both leave,_ Nicole thought. _I have to find something that he can't do with us. Think, Haught !_  
  
"Hey, Lonnie !" Doc yelled from behind her. "May I ask for your assistance, I fear it's a most urgent matter. You know I've been measuring the wood for the tables and benches, so we are ready to cut it first thing tomorrow. But I have a nagging doubt, what if I made mistakes ? I'd be much obliged if you came with me and helped me double-check everything."  
  
Lonnie stood up reluctantly and walked to the building where he had found the list.  
  
"Poor boy already tried to help me yesterday," Doc said to Nicole with a wink. "I'm afraid measuring wood is not is forte. We will spend some time on it, the both of us."  
  
Nicole was half relieved, half worried. Doc was obviously stepping in as her wingman. _What if Waverly notices ?_ She didn't want the younger woman to feel uneasy.  
  
Lonnie was coming back. "Let's go verify this, Doc, I hope we'll have the time to go through this before Lucado arrives."  
  
"Lucado's coming ?" Doc and Nicole blurted.  
  
"Yes, she called yesterday to say she would be here around four."  
  
"And you forgot to tell us, didn't you ?" Doc said, nodding slowly.  
  
"Sorry, slipped my mind…"  
  
Nicole looked at Waverly. She knew that her boss was not going to be pleased to see a local woman here. The redhead began to list ways to justify the beautiful Purgatorian's presence.  
  
_"I clicked with her. But really, really clicked, you know." True, but too true._  
  
_Or "We found her on the site, she could be a Blackfoot artefact, I intend to study her thoroughly." Scientific-sounding, but hard to believe._  
  
_Or "We lured her here to get the recipe of her banana muffins, it will boost the digging's productivity once Dolls can bake some too." No, Waverly would be offended._  
  
_Or "Can you just look at her, Professor ? I can and I will, all day long !"…_  
  
"I'd better be going," Waverly said, standing up, interrupting the taller woman's reflections. "I think it's better if your boss doesn't find me here, right ?"  
  
"No, not at all, Waverly !" Nicole shot back not very convincingly, as she stood up too. Doc and Lonnie were still there, watching…  
  
"Come on, Nicole, I understand your position. What good reason, I mean work-related reason, can you give to explain why I'm here ? I leave now, it's simpler." Waverly was pocketing her phone, looking around to make sure she didn't forget anything.  
  
"There are still some muffins, you know…", she said, pointing at the bag she had brought.  
  
She hugged Lonnie, then Doc, and went to the kitchen to thank Dolls for his wonderful BBQ and take her leave.  
  
Both women were now walking to Waverly's car. The small woman opened her door, paused, then came closer to the archaeologist. Their bodies almost touching, Nicole tensed up, feeling the proximity of the brunette, who stood on her tiptoes, put her smiling lips close to Nicole's ear...  
  
"I'll be your secret friend, Nicole," she whispered.  
  
And like this, she drove away.  
  
Nicole was feeling a bit weak in the knees. When even the dust had settled, she realized she had been standing there, looking at a now empty road, perhaps a bit too long for her own good.  
  
Walking back to the dining area, she found the whole gang standing around the table, chomping on the last banana muffins.  
  
  



	10. The Boot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The more the merrier they say, yet it's also common sense that it's not always true, as certain people are best avoided. Is this summary conforming to the rules ? Do you feel, dear reader, enough informed about what will happen in this chapter ? Well if not, I suppose you'll just have to read it, and all I can tell you is : enjoy !

Monday morning shift was a boring one. Few customers would show up before lunch hour. Shorty's was not precisely the place where people went for an early caffeine shot, and drinkers would wait before indulging on the first morning of their workweek. Even those playing a hard game would usually never show up before eleven. So Waverly wasn't really prepared to see people waiting for her to open the bar.  
  
Still, as she was opening the doors from the inside, letting in the cold air, she saw two men getting out of a car and walking hesitantly in her direction, then she heard the loud screech of another car's door begging for some oil for its hinges, and a woman got out. Three customers she had never seen. As an avid cinephile, Waverly understood it was either a stick-up, or the beginning of Invasion of the Archaeologists, a promising B-movie, starring a ragtag cast she had even spent a few hours with the day before.  
  
The two men were about her age and seemed unsure of what they were supposed to do. The woman, a tight-lipped blonde in her forties or early fifties, had a no-nonsense aura around her.  
  
"Hello. My name is Lucado," she said. _So the famous professor Lucado…_ "I'm in charge of an archaeological team from the Big City University. I've been told this place has been selected for rendezvousing with diggers that come here for the first time. Like those two here," she added with a gesture in the direction of the pair of clueless young men.  
  
She was dressed like a banker, not the kind one that helps you fill a form, the one that tells you that your overdraft led the bank to sell your soul to a supernatural being. Waverly could imagine her saying things like "The Entity will soon contact you," or "Good news is that since you'll now live with vampires, your insurance premiums are redundant expenses." With a quick nod, she brushed past Waverly and made her way into the bar.  
  
"We're not really opened yet…" Waverly said in her back, as the two boys followed Lucado. The three newcomers were now near the bar, and Waverly joined them to ask : "Coffee ? Tea ? Cappuccino ?" She had recently begun to start the coffee machine first thing in the morning, just in case some early customer…  
  
_Yeah, it's all about customer service ! Baloney !_  
  
Every time Waverly had the opening shift, she hoped to see Nicole walking into her bar, with this confidence she had, and those tender eyes. Seeing the tall woman arriving from her run in the Sunday early morning had made things to Waverly. Long legs with defined muscles, panting from exertion, sweat making red locks stick to the camp manager's face… Waverly couldn't stop her mind drifting to thoughts about Nicole even as her hands were handling mugs or tea bags, and operating the expresso machine. _Ooh, what's happening to me about this woman ?_ Yesterday, when Nicole had turned around and spotted Waverly leering at her just after running back into the camp, what an embarrassment ! And the scarf. _Still in my bed !_ She had not given it back at all. Instead, she had woken up grasping it less than an hour ago.  
  
Grabbing her coffee from the counter, Professor Lucado left there the two young diggers-to-be and went away to sit alone in a booth. She wasn't the kind of teacher that appreciated chit-chatting with students, obviously. Just above the woman's grim face, Waverly saw her own writing on a chalkboard advertising her last batch of muffins. This was going to get her busted. Perhaps Lucado was going to deduce that she had been at the camp the day before.  
  
"Would you like a muffin with that ? Have you ever tasted a banana muffin, for example ?" Waverly asked carefully from the counter.  
  
No, she had not. Judging by the sudden frown on Lucado's face, the young bartender gathered she wasn't interested. That meant that the archaeological crew at the camp had not kept any muffin for her the day before. _Gluttons !_ All the better for keeping her own presence at the test-BBQ secret.  
  
The two young men at the bar were not very talkative either. Waverly went back to her chores, and soon enough the three customers paid and went out to drive to the digging site. Waverly had to make a little effort not to give them some message for Nicole. _Perhaps I could text her ? She's probably awake… perhaps running… Keep your self-control ! Just a little message._  
  
WE : Good morning ! Just saw your boss and two diggers at the bar, coming your way now.  
  
NH : …  
  
NH : …  
  
_Okay Waverly you seem to be a bit needy there ! Put that phone away and go on with your work._  
  
Waverly's shift proved rapidly to be more busy than expected. Seven new faces appeared in the bar in the following hour, showing various levels of sleepiness. She asked each one if they came for the dig, and of course they did. Casual conversation and serving drinks made time fly until the door cracked again and here she was. Nicole. Waverly drew a quick breath. The camp manager was in sturdy working clothes, denim pants and steel-toe boots, a long-sleeved button-up and she was holding her white stetson hat ! How dashing !  
  
"Hello ! I got your message earlier, Waverly, sorry I didn't reply, I was dealing with a problem at the camp, and then I thought it was better to come here and surprise you," Nicole began with a dimpled smile.  
  
"That's against etiquette !" Waverly answered, snatching the stetson and putting it on her own head. Nicole's eyes went wide. "Do you want a cappuccino, Nicole ?"  
  
After Nicole began sipping slowly her cappuccino, Waverly decided two things. One, she wasn't going to make a fool of herself watching the whole time Nicole standing at the counter and drinking her coffee. Two, she ran to her place upstairs and came back with the scarf, coming near Nicole on the customers' side.  
  
"Here's your scarf, you left it in my kitchen…" she explained. _And I transferred it to my bedroom,_ she thought, blushing.  
  
"That's where I left it ! Even this morning, it's a bit cold today, I was wondering," Nicole said, holding her cup with both hands and not making a move to take the scarf back. Waverly was feeling dizzy. She put the stetson hat back on Nicole's head, then began to arrange the scarf herself around Nicole's neck. Her fingertips were brushing the redhead's skin. It felt so intense and yet so familiar. _Waverly Earp, what are you doing ?_ Nicole had put down her cup and was smiling seriously with her arms half raised. Waverly had not noticed that the archaeologist's lips were looking so soft… And her eyes…  
  
"So you don't say hello, babygirl ?" a voice yelled behind her, and she almost stumbled on Nicole as she felt a violent slap between her shoulder blades. She turned around to look...  
  
"Wynonna !" Her big sister was smiling smugly. "What are you doing here ? You were in Greece. Were you ?" Waverly blurted. "Where were you ? I mean you were… Now come here, we must hug !" she said embracing Wynonna in spite of the sudden flicker of panic that showed in her sister's blue eyes.  
  
"Yeah, OK enough PDA, babygirl, I got a reputation to stand on, you know ?" Wynonna said. "I just came back, spent about three hundred hours in a stinking bus. Sniff me if you don't believe it. Not even speaking about the ladies' room. Had to pee in the forest…" she trailed off, finally acknowledging Nicole's presence. "Interested by our family reunion, Red ? Don't you have elsewhere you're supposed to move your a…"  
  
"She's a friend and a customer," Waverly interrupted. "Her name's Nicole."  
  
"Well, hello Nicole, then," Wynonna said with a scornful tone, shaking her head. "Listen, sis, do I have to beg to get a beer ? I could go to the Pussy Willows, I would already have a pitcher in front of me, but I think it's not open yet so I'll be boozing here I suppose."  
  
"The Pussy Willows ?" Nicole interjected.  
  
"Yes, it's… it's a strip club," Waverly explained, uneasy.  
  
"I didn't know there was a strip club in Purgatory," the redhead stated.  
  
"There are several of them !" Wynonna snorted. "The Pussy Willows, the Hon'AB, the Foxy Bunny…"  
  
"The Chinook Gust and the Wildest Rose" Waverly chimed in.  
  
"The Mountains View, the Cloud Nine…" Wynonna went on, enjoying Nicole's shocked expression.  
  
"No, the Mountains View burned to the ground last year !" Waverly corrected her sister.  
  
"What ? What happened ?"  
  
"Well, Chrissy told me it was unclear. Testimonies were sketchy to say the least," the small brunette said, getting behind the counter and taking a bottled beer from the fridge.  
  
"Yeah, I suppose a strip joint isn't the place were you get the best witnesses. They came there to stare, though !" Wynonna said, laughing.  
  
"The voyeurs didn't see anything !" Waverly added, opening the cap.  
  
"Yeah… Whatever," Wynonna said, grabbing the bottle and taking a long gulp.  
  
"Er… Waverly, gotta go…" Nicole said, leaving the counter and beginning to assemble the diggers. Waverly had a little wince when she realized Nicole was giving her some space to bond again with her sister. Yet it was a testament to the archaeologist's tact, even if she wished to… _spend as much time as possible with you, Nicole. You are a lucky find._  
  
Wynonna was looking intently at the tall woman… "Red Carpet's a drunkard for sure. Did you notice the wound on her forehead ? Must have been shit-faced, stumbled into some door frame ! Tries to hide it with a hat, but she can't fool me !"  
  
Waverly opened her mouth to retort, but then closed it. Not the right time for full disclosure on her burgeoning friendship with the beautiful redhead. If she told her big sister about her stairs diving attempt and her rescue by Nicole, she would not hear the end of it. Wynonna was back in Purgatory and the most urgent thing to do was to catch up with her. She had been in Greece, one of the places on Earth Waverly dreamed to travel to, after studying so much about its past. That, that was a real topic for a conversation.  
  
The following minutes made clear that her big sister hadn't spent much time visiting ancient ruins, and when she had, it had been invariably in a stupor. _One day, one day I'll go there,_ Waverly told herself. Instead, Wynonna had plenty of information to share about what Greece had to offer concerning the pleasures of the flesh, from food to sex, with lots of brows-wiggling on top. Soon, the raven-haired young woman left her little sister to get some rest in Waverly's place above the bar, and before that a most necessary shower.  
  
Around noon, Shorty took over manning the bar, while Gus had already been in the kitchen for a while, prepping for the lunch. They both didn't knew Wynonna was coming, but decided that they would let her sleep. Waverly went upstairs to find Wynonna drooling on her couch. She let her have a good rest and settled with a few cushions, her back against the wall, half reading, half watching her sister's face rippling from vivid dreams.  


  
  
Three hours later, the two sisters were both seated on the couch, enjoying a moment of regress playing an old kart video game, hurling abuse at each other. The first one to win three races was Wynonna, shouting in triumph when she reached the finish line.  
  
"OK babygirl, now it's time to find some grub. Something real, let's go to the kitchen ! Not yours, I guess you only have sun-dried tomatoes, I mean downstairs. And I want to see Gus," the tall brunette decided. Both of them went down the stairs.  
  
Champ was at the counter, leaning on his elbows, examining the glass of beer in front of him. He lifted his eyes when he heard the sisters' steps.  
  
"Hi Wynonna," he said, looking a bit confused to see her here, but rapidly dismissing it. "Waverly, we've got to talk, baby."  
  
"You're still with Chump ?" Wynonna asked, turning to her sister.  
  
"It's Champ," the young man said.  
  
"Yes, we've got to talk," Waverly conceded, ignoring Wynonna's comment. She had to tell Champ face to face that their relationship was over. It was a necessary conversation that Waverly knew she couldn't avoid.  
  
"Listen, I'm not mad at you for the other night," Champ began with a large, forgiving smile. "You were pissed about me, I understand that, and I don't blame you about it, but I was drunk."  
  
"You don't blame me ?" Waverly blurted.  
  
"I do blame you Waverly," Wynonna interjected. "Isn't there really any man around, and I say any man, that you have to hang out with Schlump ?"  
  
"It's Champ !" Champ shouted, glaring at Wynonna.  
  
"Schlub !"  
  
"Piss off, wacko brain," Champ spat, "I've got serious things to say to Waverly."  
  
"Let him speak, Wy !" Waverly demanded. And so Champ began to speak. But Waverly had the strangest sensation. She was just watching the scene. She was focused on Champ playing his role. Like an actor. A bad actor. _No, he's a good actor, he has been a good actor for a long time…_ but his acting couldn't be good in such a preposterous scene : _I regret, I promise… all he wants is having sex and boasting about his silly self._ Champ's text was awful. _Did he just say "Now I understand how much I love you" ?_ With a flash of pride, Waverly realized that she was seeing through Champ's lies, but she felt also ashamed to have been such a fool for so long.  
  
"Stop, Champ. I'm not your girlfriend anymore. You should leave…" Waverly said after a while, interrupting the pathetic speech.  
  
"No, you're my girl, I won't…"  
  
"Zip it, Schlock, the lady told you to get out !" Wynonna hollered, stepping in Champ's direction. Now the whole bar was silent. All the customers were straining to hear.  
  
"Wynonna, that's none of your business. She's my girlfriend and I stay. You go away or I'll…"  
  
"No, Champ. You don't own Waverly and you won't threaten Wynonna. Leave my bar. Now." Shorty said, coming in his turn from the other side of the room.  
  
"I'm a client, you can't talk to me like that."  
  
"No you aren't," Shorty said, visibly making an effort to stay composed. "Next time, come here as a client, and ask only for a beer. Today you came asking for something else, something you won't get anymore. And take your time before you come back. I won't mind if you don't come back at all"  
  
"You'll regret it, Waverly. You're mad just like your sister. I will tell everybody what a dumb bitch you are !" Champ said, but an unexpected, high-pitched whir behind him made him turn around in a sudden jerk. Gus had slunk in his back, and was wielding the kitchen's old electric knife, looking at his crotch with an evil grin.  
  
Waverly saw Champ step back slowly towards the exit, mouth agape. "There's a lot of girls out there, normal ones, that will see I'm great, that will love me properly. You, you'll never find another man ready to love an Earp. An Earp !" he said with disgust as he yanked the door open. "You'll be asking for me to take you back, you'll see !" he added with a victorious grin. He was visibly going to say something else, but as Gus and Wynonna were coming closer he just shook his head and went out for good.  
  
Wynonna was the first to come to a conclusion, in a manner that was so peculiar to her : "Babygirl, we've got to celebrate this ! Whiskey !".  
  



	11. Picnic escapism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How can a virtuous archaeological camp manager, on a mission to clean digging attire, be led so far astray as to find herself leisurely sharing pickles with a young beauty on the banks of a stream burbling through the woods ? Love ! Love is the answer to such a mystery. Learn all the details in this chapter.

  
  
It was Wednesday and Nicole was already fed up with this week. Not even half past nine in the morning and she was already fed up with this day. She reflected that it was probably a bit hard for her to adjust to the new activity, as the camp was now full of unexperienced diggers, contrasting strongly with the atmosphere of the previous week. _But it's always like this when a dig begins, I should be only a bit annoyed,_ Nicole thought. She just had to shift her mood, and look at the comical side of things, instead of focusing on the annoyance of young students discovering the realities of an excavation.  
  
Right now, she was watching a young man clearly using a shovel for the first time in his life. He was wincing in pain while managing only to move a spoonful of dirt at a time. What was his name again ? Gregor, she believed. About thirty new faces. Most of them were removing the upper layer of the soil in places that Professor Lucado had decided were potentially interesting. She could spot Rosita and Doc at the foot of the hill, both managing their own team of diggers. Another half dozen of students were under Jeremy's orders to complete marking out the grid system they would be using for plans and computer imaging. They were placing pegs and altitude marks with great precision, learning to use the theodolite.  
  
Jeremy didn't seem as nervous as she was. In spite of the clueless students having a hard time making the calculations and using their equipment, he was still smiling and cheerful.  
  
Professor Lucado's mood was the opposite, surveying the excavation with a surly expression. She had asked again early this morning to Nicole if she had any idea about another place for her to stay in Purgatory. Her elderly and noisy landlords, the Blanks, seemed to have a devastating effect on her already morose temper.  
  
She decided to get things done. First, she spent a few minutes trying to explain the best way to shovel to Your-name's-Gregor-right-?-Gregor. He would get better at this, but probably not today. Then, the tall redhead made her way to her boss.  
  
"Hey, Professor ?" she asked. "I have to go into town for the laundry, so I'll be heading back to the camp. Is there anything you need me to do ?"  
  
"No… I don't think so… And you can stop looking for another place for me, I've found it myself," she said, pointing to her cell phone. "If you've ever been looking for anything," she added with a sour voice. Truth be told, Nicole had done nothing about this, except laughing about it at Shorty's with Waverly and Gus. But her boss had a way to discourage people from helping her.  
  
Before leaving the site, she made a quick tour of the excavation. Jeremy was making exaggerated hand gestures to make her come close to him.  
  
"You're going to Purgatory for the clothes, don't you ? I gave a few things to wash…" the techie began.  
  
"Don't worry, Jeremy, it will be returned clean and dry this afternoon."  
  
"Yeah… Listen, when you'll go to Shorty's, I was wondering if you could buy me some muffins, you know, banana muffins… Mmmh ?" Jeremy said with a conspiratorial tone. "Do you want some money right now ?"  
  
"Well…" Nicole said awkwardly, "I'm not even sure I will go there. But if you want some muffins…" The redhead answered him, avoiding his gaze. Her ears felt so hot she was sure they were emitting light right now.  
  
"Yeah, sure !" Jeremy said, nodding with a mocking smile. "You'll go to Shorty's just to humor me. Have a good time !", he concluded with a wink. "Hey ! Leslie ! You've got to have this pole really vertical, please, use the level !" he shouted, turning to a girl about thirty meters from him.  
  
Nicole chose to ignore the young man's remarks and walked to her car. She had no news from Waverly since Monday, when her sister had come back. Wynonna. Back from Greece apparently. It was best to step back and leave the two sisters have some time for themselves. Nicole didn't want to be an unwanted bystander, and she had simply left with the diggers. She had made two more trips to Shorty's that day, first at the end of the morning, and then later in the afternoon to get three stragglers, but Waverly was not working and she didn't want to bother the lovely hazel-eyed woman. She hadn't texted either, waiting for Waverly to do it.  
  
Nicole was quite aware that she was acting weird. She knew damn well she wasn't so shy usually. And if the point was to give Waverly some space, then she shouldn't be thinking about her all the time.  
  
She was now driving on the short part of the dirt road that needed some work. After conferring with Doc the day before, they had agreed it was necessary to divert somehow the water in case of heavy rain. Doc was supposed to go "find a pipe", he had said with an ambiguous smile, and Nicole was hoping he would not get caught red-handed by the local sheriff, dismantling the city's sewers. Perhaps he was just messing with her.  
  
The woman's thoughts went back to her Purgatorian crush… _It's ridiculous,_ she chastised herself. _Straight, heartbroken, hazel eyes, the recipe for a wreckage. She's a great girl, but there will be no love for you here, Nicole._ Really, she had just asked Waverly for a coffee before she even knew she was straight, and she had done the same kind of chance flirting many, many times, with a lot of other women.  
  
_Yeah, I'm just a hyperactive Cupid riding an unicorn, shooting love arrows in all directions, as usual. Ladies beware !_  
  
_Yes, Haught. Very convincing. So who are all the other girls you’ve been busy shooting your arrows to, lately ? You’re doomed, Haught, very doomed ! It’s all about Waverly…_ The redhead felt a cold shiver. _This will end badly._ She had to keep her distance. And she had to stop speaking to herself, too.  
  
Stopping at the camp, she made a dash to Dolls' kitchen to tell him she was headed to Purgatory on her laundry mission.  
  
"Are you with us for lunch ?" the cook asked.  
  
"Well I'm not sure, it's already rather late, I don't think I really can make it…"  
  
"Okay… Well, when you're at Shorty's, could you check if you can get some of Waverly's banana muffins ? She said to me she had made a whole batch for the bar. It was a couple of days ago, perhaps she has done another."  
  
"Industrial espionage ?" the redhead shot back, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Er… They are very good," Dolls answered slyly. "Or you could ask Waverly about her recipe ? Even a few details would be precious…" he continued with an awkward wince.  
  
"Come on, Dolls ! You should be ashamed ! I don't even plan to go to Shorty's today, and if I would, I wouldn't dare ask that !"  
  
"If you would ? You won't meet Waverly ?" Dolls uttered with an incredulous tone. "Well, see you later !" he said finally, focussing back on his work.  
  
Sulking-Nicole went out of the kitchen and walked to the restaurant building to collect the bundle of dirty clothes she had to get washed.  
  
_First Jeremy, now Dolls. What are they all implying ? I can perfectly go to Purgatory without paying a visit to Waverly. I've seen her two days ago and I'm fine, thank you very much !_ Nicole huffed to herself as she was making sure the bundle's knots were secure, a bit too roughly. _And is there anyone around here that doesn't know I'm crushing on her ? I must be quite a laughing stock. But I have enough willpower to keep away from this girl if I have to._  
  
Exactly twenty seconds later, Nicole was texting :  
  
NH : Hi Waverly ! Coming to Purgatory around lunchtime. Maybe we can meet ? If you can't it's OK.  
  
_No it's not._  
  
…  
  
_Answer, answer please…_  
  
WE : Great ! Lunch ? Picnic ? I bring a chicken salad ?  
  
Nicole's heart was beating fast. A picnic with Waverly sounded great.  
  
NH : OK. I get water and fruits ? Pick you up around noon ?  
  
WE : At the back of Shorty's, text me when you arrive. Water and fruits OK. See you !  
  
It sounded wonderful ! Nicole took her ice chest out of her room, got to her car but suddenly thought better of it, went back to fetch her stetson, and finally made the drive to Purgatory with a smile plastered on her face.  
  
She stopped first at the supermarket, got water, ice and a half-dozen of the best-looking fruits she could find, and put all this in her cooler. The sun was already hot, it was going to be worse at lunchtime, she could already imagine Waverly slowly passing a cold bottle on her face, sighing in relief as the condensation would leave a wet trail on her skin. _Then she will look at me full of gratitude… and give me a kiss… for bringing fresh water… Yeah, a bit far-fetched. Stop fantasizing, Haught._  
  
The laundromat was empty the whole time, except for a woman who came to wash a blanket and left the place as soon as the machine begun her program. Nicole had everything washed and dried in a bit more time than she thought, but she was only ten minutes late when she drove to Shorty's backlot after texting Waverly.  
  
After two minutes, the kitchen's door flung open and the energetic brunette walked right to Nicole's car, a wide brim hat on her head and carrying an heavy basket. Nicole got out of the car to greet her and to open her the door to the back seat, so she could put her basket next to her own ice chest, secured with a safety belt. Waverly was fit, Nicole could see it in every move she made, and she didn't flinch as she put her hat on the roof and dove into the car to fasten her burden. Still keeping the door open, the tall redhead's eyes lingered along her new friend's lithe body, clad today in jeans and a T-shirt she had tied in the back, revealing in this instant a toned back and side as she extended her arms to lock the safety belt. Nicole knew she had to say something, anything to hide her sudden want.  
  
"What's in there, Waverly ?" Nicole asked, clearing her throat. "You only said you were bringing a salad."  
  
"And the blanket, the plates and glasses, forks and knives, I intend this to be a civilized picnic. Napkins, too. We will do the full barbarian picnic another day, with grease stains, spilled vino and bawdy songs, I promise," Waverly said as she opened the passenger's door and got seated.  
  
"And we must absolutely have dogs fighting for leftovers, oh and a muddy pond so we can stumble drunkenly into it !" the tall redhead added as she took her place in the driver's seat. "So where are we heading for today's fancy and respectable picnic, dear contessa ?" Nicole enquired as she started the car.  
  
"Please take Main street, we're heading east, my dear" Waverly said with a faux-Brit accent, suddenly sliding down her seat as they were passing in front of Shorty's.  
  
"Are you hiding from someone, Waverly ?" Nicole asked, glancing rapidly at a few people discussing on the sidewalk before focussing back on the road.  
  
"Guys. Boys. Men. Them all." Waverly began to explain. "You know I've dumped Champ, my boyfriend, right ?"  
  
"Yes, I was even the first one you told about it, if I remember well." Nicole answered softly, remembering the tears rolling on the bartender's cheeks that morning.  
  
"Well he came back to… win me back," Waverly said making air quotes. She paused for a few seconds, visibly recalling the scene, then shaking her head. "Well he finally left saying that I am a dumb bitch, no less, and that he was going to tell everyone about it."  
  
Nicole felt a pang of hatred for this man she had never even met.  
"Oh, Waverly, I'm sorry for you, what a…"  
  
"Wait ! Let me explain the current situation," Waverly interrupted. "I first noticed it yesterday morning, because a lot of local young men came, each and every one alone, to have lunch at Shorty's. About a dozen. Most uncommon. I didn't know right away what to make of that, but they all wanted to talk, and talk with me. And there were more guys in the afternoon. I got invited to a dozen parties, meals, bowling nights, and all this don't-you-want-me-to-take-you for-a-ride-in-my-car bullshit." Waverly said, rolling her eyes.  
  
"The word on the street seems to be that you're back on the dating market, I reckon…"  
  
"I could do without all this attention. I'm an happily single Virgo with hair for days !" the small brunette said waving her mane with a satisfied smile. "And I won't elaborate about those who ask me if I need some plumbing to be done, or some fine tuning of my engine… Do you know Champ told me no one else but him would ever want me ? Well he was wrong !"  
  
"His loss ! You are kind and beautiful and clever, Waverly, I think you're…" Nicole didn't end her sentence. _Careful, Haught. Don't rush into a declaration._ "I think you're able to find someone better than this guy. Soo… that's why we're having a sneak picnic today ?"  
  
"Even you think I'm attractive, don't you ?" Waverly asked in return.  
  
_No is a lie. Yes is a risk._  
  
"Well… You guessed for sure that I like women, don't you, Waverly ?" Nicole risked.  
  
"Last week, you were hitting on me when you first came at Shorty's."  
  
"Sorry. I was a bit out of line there… I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable. Listen, Waverly," Nicole said after taking a big breath. "I swear I won't be drooling. I'm here as a friend, without any further agenda, OK ?"  
  
"OK, Nicole. I wouldn't be here with you today if I didn't feel great in your company, you know ? We're approaching. You'll turn left at the next road. And… no drooling, you said ? Then you'll be doing already much better that most of those guys," Waverly chuckled, pointing to a small wood. "You see those trees over there ? That's where we're going."  
  
As they drove near the place Waverly had chosen for their picnic, Nicole was exhorting herself silently. She must be a real friend, just like she had promised. Waverly didn't need to know she was falling hard for her, and it was better that way for both of them. Waverly had enough problems with a toxic ex-boyfriend and a swarm of horny guys chasing her. Nicole had desires, but she could be a friendly and supportive presence when the woman at her side needed it, she could do it, she had to do it, she was going to do it.  
  
After they reached the wood and parked the car, Waverly led Nicole under the trees to a creek. The young woman knew an ideal place, a flat half-moon clearing on the bank of the small river. They spread the blanket and began to place the food on it.  
  
"I made the salad with extra pickles. You like pickles ?" Waverly asked, looking at Nicole.  
  
"Yes, I do," Nicole lied. _Well, I do now. I'll eat them bravely. Yuck ! Pickles !_  
  
"Great, I prepare them myself !" Waverly said, smiling proudly.  
  
Tasting carefully the chicken salad a moment later, Nicole realized that the young Purgatorian had nailed it. Even her pickles turned out to be delicious. And of course she made her how pickles from scratch ! For someone like Nicole, who cooked only when she really had to, Waverly's talent was intriguing.  
  
The picnic was one of those magical moments with regular flashes of despair for the redhead, as she watched the woman in front of her doing things. She watched her frowning in concentration as she sliced an apple. She watched her smile as she drank water. She looked at her as she was basking in the summer light. Luckily, Waverly didn't seem to notice anything wrong about Nicole's behavior, and that was a relief for the archaeologist, as she did all she could to seem relaxed and to keep an active part in their conversation. But it was hard to stay cool in presence of such a mesmerizing girl. Nicole felt like her every move, her every stare, was betraying her condition of the heart.  
  
Nicole's tension between joy and ache reached its highest point when Waverly began to make photos. She first took snapshots of Nicole, but then came closer and put her back right against Nicole, to shoot them as a pair. They made it all, the smiles, the duckfaces, the international spies fingerguns, the brooding, the ditzes, the wrestlers confrontation, and they laughed their hearts out.  
  
Back in her head, a little voice kept telling Nicole that there was things she had to do that day, but all she wished for was to stay in this grove with the brunette. They were now quietly watching the dragonflies hovering above the stream, when Waverly suddenly got called. Nicole made out it was Gus, _with bad news apparently._  
  
"Gus needs me at the bar, Nicole, I'm sorry, but my sister is awake and came down from my apartment. Gus can't man both the bar and Wynonna. We've got to leave."  
  
"It's OK, Waverly," Nicole shot back, standing up. "Let's grab everything then !" She gave her hand to Waverly to help her stand up in her turn. _Stealing another contact, Haught… It's a friend she needs. But it feels so good when we're touching !_  
  
"Wynonna just got beamed down in Purgatory." Waverly explained as she collected the plates and cutlery and put them back into the basket. "She was supposed to be roughly on the other side of this planet but bam ! Here she is now ! Handling that situation is a dirty job, but someone has to do it. You don't know her, but trust me, if I don't deal with her quickly, the fire squad will have to step in."  
  
"Sounds like she's a handful," Nicole said.  
  
"You can say that again !"  
  
Fifteen minutes later, they reached back Shorty's. As she put her car into a stop in front of the bar, Nicole spotted a certain horrid pink car that was parked there as well. As if a little cloud was raining only for her head, she was busted again.  
  
  
  



	12. Cross, and fit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summarized summary : Champ is bad ; Nicole is good. Action-Waverly is efficient. But perhaps Nicole is a bit frightened.

The men were loitering in front of Shorty's, four of them. Myles-from-Moose-Jaw, Devin Thiess, both present at the bar since about eleven, Stephan McKay and Tom Lawrence. Their noses in the sun, apparently exchanging important views about the tires of a battered pick-up truck. Waverly sighed. She should have said to Nicole to park again in the back of the bar. They were going to either mock her or pretend to help, only to try to stop her. _Zonked Suitors, A Barmaid Tells All, by Waverly Earp._  
  
"If you don't want them to block you, you should let me take the basket," Nicole offered calmly as she killed the engine. "I'm confident they won't try to help me, and that way you still can keep interaction with them to a minimum."  
  
"Are you some kind of telepath ?" Waverly chuckled.  
  
"More like some kind of woman. I've been dodging this kind of gentlemen for a long time, like you…" Nicole stated.  
  
They came out of the car, and Nicole nodded in the direction of the pink Lincoln, before she shrugged with an uncertain look. She had no idea what Doc was doing at Shorty's. Waverly watched Nicole lifting the heavy wicker basket, and walking alongside her with an easy gait. The camp manager's athletic body was also shielding her from the four guys, as she saluted them with only a smile (and a little wave), eliciting in response a few cheers and grunts. The doors of Shorty's were propped open by chairs, as Gus used to do on such sunny days, and the two women just dived into the main room.  
  
Of course there were a few more young men inside, nursing drinks at the counter. Seated at a booth on the left, Doc and Rosita were staring at Waverly and her redheaded partner-in-crime. Well, if picnics were a crime. Her escapade into the woods with Nicole had cost the brunette a few extra efforts, prepping the chicken salad, gathering everything they needed to enjoy their meal, but she felt elated now by this solid moment of joy.  
  
"Hey there…" Nicole said half-heartedly to her colleagues, still holding the basket with her left hand.  
  
"Come here, Nicole, I suppose you're in for a coffee ?" Rosita said, smiling. "My treat. And for you too, Waverly !"  
  
Honeyed words to get to know what they both had been up to, for sure. But Waverly knew better than to approach the bar and the half dozen of bachelors ogling her right now. And she was curious to know what dark deeds Rosita and Doc were doing here.  
  
Beyond the customers, Gus was at the bar. Her big sis Wynonna was at the bar. Gus looked squarely at Waverly, with an half-smile and a little tilt of her head, then a side glance at Wynonna and then again a serious look at Waverly. _Glad you're back, kiddo ! I'm happy to see, looking at you, that you had a most pleasant moment with this new friend you're so eager to spend time with, yes I noticed, but could you just remove this young lady, your sister Wynonna, from our stash of alcoholic beverages before it's sucked down into a whirlpool of hair, black leather and profanity ?_ You just couldn't believe how much Gus could say without speaking.  
  
"Wynonna !" the younger Earp called, "come here to meet my friends." She saw that Wynonna parted reluctantly with the counter.  
  
"Who are those so-called friends, babygirl ?" the dark-haired heir of the Earps enquired.  
  
"Wynonna, my big sister," Waverly proclaimed, "and this is Rosita, archaeologist extraordinaire, Doc, mustachioed gentleman, and Nicole… where's Nicole ?" The basket was on the floor next to her. No more Nicole attached to it.  
  
"Well, hello there !" Wynonna said to the two diggers in the booth, already seating herself literally against Doc.  
  
Looking around, Waverly spotted Nicole in front of the juke-box, selecting some music. After a few seconds, she left the machine and walked slowly towards Waverly with an dimpled smile. The first chords of a country ballad filled the room as Nicole's selection started to play.  
  
\- So you wonder what it might be like  
\- If we close our eyes and give in…  
  
"And I'm Nicole, the ramrod," the tall redhead said, winking to Waverly. "Nice to meet you again, Wynonna."  
  
"Hey, redhead, white cowboy hat, I remember you !"  
  
"Er… Nicole, sorry to ask you… but could you get us two coffees and anything you want for yourself ?" Waverly asked as she sat down next to her sister to block her lest she went back to the counter. She feared that Nicole would snap at her, but instead she looked at her, nodded and left to talk to Gus.  
  
Waverly had just the time to make proper introductions and to explain to Wynonna a little bit more about the excavation, when Gus and Nicole came to the booth with two cappuccinos and two black coffees. Nicole sat down next to Rosita, opposite to Wynonna. She smiled at Waverly and gave the young bartender one of the cappuccinos, keeping the second one for her. Gus took place next to Nicole and handed to Wynonna one of the black coffees.  
  
"I'm Gus. The aunt of those two. Well, Nicole," Gus said with a dissecting look. "How's this diggin' doing ?"  
  
"Well, we had a good start. I was in town for the laundry…" Nicole trailed off, visibly flustered by the old woman staring out at her.  
  
"May I say that we visited your fine establishment today hoping dearly to see you, Waverly," Doc interrupted. "Me and Rosita came to buy a few things for the camp, nothing expensive I want to dispel any doubts about that," he said in an aside to Nicole, "and we found a perceptive, albeit unsettling business partner in the person of one Bobo, head of the respectable trailer park and junk yard just north of your town…"  
  
"Stay away from Bobo Del Rey," Gus said. Waverly nodded in approval. Wynonna sneered loudly.  
  
"I'm used to see people looking at me, trying to guess my measurements, but he… well he just seemed to try and guess the money he could get for our kidneys," Rosita said.  
  
"Anyhow, we found the pipes we needed, and… some parts for one of my experiments, thanks to Rosita's expertise in the field of mechanicals" Doc continued, looking again at Nicole, "and then we decided to come here in hope we could get a few muffins…"  
  
"Banana muffins," Rosita felt important to point out.  
  
"Back at the dig, some people did ask me also about this …" Nicole chimed in.  
  
_They love my banana muffins… It's Lonely at the Top - A Baker's Story, by Waverly Earp._  
  
"Sorry folks, not today. Perhaps in a few days. I'll try to make a special effort, to support scientific research !" Waverly quipped.  
  
She began to hum softly. "Yes ! We have no bananas... We have no bananas today..."  
  
"Hey, it's this song in Sabrina, the record Audrey Hepburn listens to with Bogart !" Nicole interjected. _Oh, I must definitely watch films with her,_ Waverly thought.  
  
"I'm sure scholars are more able to appreciate the good things than the average Purgatory rabble we get in this bar," Wynonna said, shamelessly locking her blue gaze into Doc's eyes, and now frankly leaning on him.  
  
"Ah ! The customers we have here at Shorty’s !" Gus said. "One day you’ll be depressed because you’ll realize they are, well, the majority of them, a bunch of freeloading loafers and Prairies rubes. And the day after that, you’ll look at them and realize they are, well, the majority of them, good people doing the best they can to live a decent and happy life in the boundaries of their imagination."  
  
"Wait, Gus. Aren’t those two notions mutually exclusive ?" Waverly put in.  
  
"No they aren’t, kiddo. But you’ll probably need time to realize that too. Now, what I really want to say to you is : imagination. You’ve got plenty of it. And it’s all the better for you when you have to take decisions about your own happiness… Now if you'll excuse me," Gus said, standing up and taking back her coffee mug with her, "I've got patrons to attend to."  
  
"So what about this bod of yours, Doc ? You into sports ?" Wynonna asked turning to her neighbor, who was now trapped with his back against the wall.  
  
"I have to say I stay away from any sport venue. My only exertions are done during archaeological work, I fear," Doc drawled.  
  
"Same for me, I'm not the team spirit type. And what about you, Waverly ?" Rosita asked.  
  
"I only do daily workouts, but I was a cheerleader in high school. So I guess I'm all in for team spirit, and rooting for your friends. It was great to give them support, show them I believed in everyone's chance to make a difference on the field…"  
  
"Waverly, you've always been a bundle of optimism," Wynonna stated, "you're able to see what is better in everybody. Hey, you even found something good in Champ ! And this man… Wait ! Did I say man ? Is it really a man ?"  
  
"Wynonna !" warned Waverly.  
  
"Well I guess he has some places a bit like a man's body parts. Were those the better ones ?" Wynonna asked, wiggling her brows.  
  
"Wynonna !"  
  
"So he got into your bed using only his wits and his manner, babygirl ? You won't make me believe that !" the dark-haired woman sniggered.  
  
"Am I trying to ? Am I trying to ?"  
  
"I rest my case !" Wynonna said with her most solemn tone. "And you Nicole, I bet you're into sports, too. For basketball, I guess you just have to reach out a hand," she moved on.  
  
"I never cared much about playing basketball, though I enjoy watching it. Go Raptors !" Nicole cheered.  
  
"No sports at all ?"  
  
"Well, I've been into roller derby in recent years…" Nicole said.  
  
"You roller girls always have funny nicknames ! Tell me yours !" Wynonna shot back.  
  
"Well, it was Last Wheel, you know, like the wheel of a roller skate," the redhead confessed.  
  
_Speak of the devil,_ Waverly thought, her mind drifting away from the conversation at the table. She was perceiving some kind of raucous business outside the doors, and she was quite sure to make out Champ's angry voice. _I've got to see what's going on,_ she resolved, sliding out of the booth and walking towards the commotion.  
  
Sure enough it was Champ, turning his back to Shorty's door as he was arguing with Devin. "You just came here to bill and coo with my girl. Waverly's mine ! Get lost, Thiess !" he hissed, unaware of the brunette behind him.  
  
"I'm pretty sure she dumped you, Champ !" Devin said back. _True, but still a wrong answer,_ Waverly thought.  
  
Champ's fist was already striking Devin's face. The young man staggered.  
  
"Champ, stop that now !" Waverly shouted, grasping her ex-boyfriend's shirt to make him step back.  
  
"I'm here to protect you from those creeps, Waverly," Champ spat, barely turning his face towards her. "Go back inside," he ordered, shoving her harshly. Wavery lost her balance and fell on the pavement.  
  
_This shit ticket !_ Seeing red, Waverly stood back up, seized hold of the chair that served as a doorstop and slammed it into Champ's back as he was ready to hit Devin again. The chair broke on the impact, pieces falling on the pavement. _Crap !_ Champ had stumbled, and gasped in pain, looking back at her with astonishment.  
  
The props were betraying her, but still she had two chair legs in her hands.  
  
"You are the trouble here !" Waverly yelled, brandishing the rods, "I'm not a damsel in distress, Champ Hardy ! I'm the damsel…" she shouted as she struck him on the knee with the left chair leg, "…and the distress !" she concluded, hitting him squarely on the shoulder with the other rod. "Go away !" she hollered.  
  
She saw Champ loosing all confidence, and he retreated both from surprise and pain. He hopped across the street to his car, looking at her with dread, and drove away. Waverly was shaking with rage. Looking around, she saw Wynonna, Nicole, Rosita and Doc crammed in the doorway, staring at her. She dropped the wooden rods, and walked straight to them.  
  
"Did you enjoy the show ?" she barked. Doc walked past her and picked up the chair legs from the pavement. "I will keep'em for you, perhaps you'll need them one day for another lover…" he mused.  
  
"There won't be another lover !" Waverly snapped. "I'm through with this. Look at this one," she gestured at Champ's car already a few blocks away, "I've been such a fool to even go near this guy, to even talk to him. Ooh, and I thought I could read people !" she whispered bitterly. She pushed her way back into the bar, straight to the kitchen, but she knew there would be someone to follow her there, so she went out by the back door and spent five minutes walking angrily in the street, before returning, somewhat calmed down, and quite embarrassed.  
   
Wynonna slapped her on the back. Gus just shook her head.  
  
The three archaeologists were still there, but they took their leave as soon as they saw her, saying they had to get back to work at the excavation. _They must think I'm crazy !_ Nicole looked at her with a concerned expression as she left. Waverly felt like she was going to be sick.  
  
Waverly was a nervous wreck for the rest of the afternoon, and blew off steam by scrubbing the kitchen for two hours. As she was taking some rest upstairs, Gus came to ask her to come and speak to Nedley, the sheriff. As usual, he was there for happy hour like any day, but he wanted Waverly to shed light on the fight with Champ. Some meddling law-abiding citizens had called Purgatory's sheriff office. Nedley listened to her version, but he had some details to check.  
  
"I've been told several of the workers from this Blackfoot archaeological diggings were also present at the scene," the old sheriff asked. "Did they take part in the scuffle ?"  
  
"No, they were there but only witnessed the end of the fight… they were there because they tasted my banana muffins," Waverly added, feeling compelled to provide an explanation. The sheriff looked at her in thoughtful consideration.  
  
"Did you just bake some of those ?" he asked with a little twitch of the eyelids.  
  
"No I didn't, sheriff. They tasted them a few days ago, they were coming back for more." Waverly answered. "But I didn't bake another batch yet. Next time I do I could keep some for you, OK ?" Yet another one that was after her banana muffins.  
  
"You must understand that you can't bludgeon people in the street and get away with it by offering pastries around," Nedley stated calmly. "But of course I'm quite aware of Champ's less-than-courteous behavior. Let's simply hope he won't want to press charges against you, but I think it's unlikely. And yes I would be pleased if you make sure I can buy you some of those muffins on the next batch."  
  
_Lots of Dough ! How I Made My First Million, by Waverly Earp._  
  
After the sheriff's departure, it was time for Waverly to take her shift at the bar. A bunch of eligible bachelors from Purgatory and beyond came this evening, but they probably had heard on the grapevine that Shorty's radiant bartender was bellicose today, and they stayed prudent in their words and deeds.  
  
Much, much later this night, in her chamber after saying goodnight to Wynonna, Waverly couldn't help herself replaying again and again the events of the day in her head. Lying on her bed, she sorted the photos taken during the picnic, smiling at the pictures of Nicole and her goofing around. There were so much things she wanted to do this summer, and especially with Nicole, but she was afraid that the righteous redhead would push her away after this afternoon's violent outburst against Champ.  
  
Waverly was more and more conscious of the pull she felt, the way Nicole's confident charm was making its way to her heart, but it was also true that she had to question seriously her judgement. The whole Champ debacle, a result of several years of blindness, was proof of her lack of sense. Yet she felt it was Nicole that had given her the strength to stand her ground against Champ. And that couldn't be wrong.  
  
But Nicole was a woman. A pretty one, with womanly features Waverly was attracted to, and that was new. What was happening ? She had been into guys until then. She was into guys. And everybody knew about that. So she put a snapshot of her and Nicole together as the new wallpaper of her phone. Their two heads were touching as they smiled at the camera and hid one half of their faces, Nicole with the brim of her stetson hat, Waverly with her long hair. _It's just the photo of two friends, that's what it is. That's what people will think if they see my phone._  
  
_All this because I've got this attraction for Nicole… What a day ! I had a wonderful picnic with her, I worked at the bar, I got in a fight, it was frantic, I feel exhausted, but I feel like I've been doing the right things… And I want to spend at least a great summer with Nicole. Both our jobs permitting._  
  
She relaxed for one more minute, half laughing, half worrying about how much energy she would need to juggle all she wanted to do. But an awful realization made her sit up suddenly, her fingers covering her open mouth.  
  
_Wait a minute ! The hectic schedule… the nosy friends and relatives… the brawls and slapsticks… the disgruntled ex making a fool of himself ! Oh no !_ she realized to her dismay, _my life has just become a cheesy lesbian rom-com !_


	13. Things get steamy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Does Nicole know what she's doing when Waverly is around ?  
> One must note that the otherwise collected and efficient site manager, a fine example for the archaeological community, can't get her bearings as soon as some hazel-eyed Earp appears. This chapter is quite technical, dealing mostly with refuse collection, auto repair and bathing apparatus. Oh, and banana muffins.  
> Enjoy !

  
Music and conversations were making a confused background noise, as the diggers were enjoying the still lukewarm night air. Nicole had been in her bunk since the evening meal, sorting things on her computer, trimming useless bookmarks on her browser, watching bit of videos. She was well aware that she was only trying to resist the temptation to just take her car and go to Purgatory.  
  
Since the beginning of the afternoon, when she had left the small town after Waverly's fight against Champ, she had been thinking about the young woman who seemed to tighten a little more each day her grip into her heart. And her brain. And her guts. She had worked on automatic pilot, mostly daydreaming, idling among the diggings.  
  
As the sun was downing, Doc had called to ask her to inspect the road work, the repairs on the way to the site. In only a few hours, with a handful of clumsy students, he had made two deep ditches on both sides of the road, connected by a few pipes he had got buried under the track. Doc seemed confident about what he had done. Confirmation would come after the next rainfall.  
  
Looking at the blank wall of her very small private quarter, the redhead smiled and shook her head. At least she had coworkers that had got some job done today. To be honest, that had got her job done. While she was musing about a certain enchanting small army-of-one woman. Waverly was perhaps under arrest right now. "For boy-manslaughter," Nicole sniggered alone.  
  
She felt guilty. Guilty not to have leaped into action to help Waverly. As they all were sitting in the booth at Shorty's she had of course noticed Waverly slinking off because, well, she was noticing Waverly all the time. But she didn't want to betray her special interest for the beautiful bartender. And even as she heard the noise coming from the street, and even as she saw Waverly taking one of the chairs and the door closing, she had made a conscious effort to stay composed and had asked the others, Rosita, Doc and Wynonna, to come with her to see what was happening, instead of listening to the voice within her that shouted to rush outside right away.  
  
She was so concerned about concealing her longing for Waverly that she didn't even act like a true friend would have.  
  
And after that she had left the saloon like any stranger would have done, instead of staying to see the aftermath of the fight and to support Waverly.  
  
Nicole sighed and put her laptop on her small table. _OK, a woman's got to do what she got to do._ Crossing her long legs on the bed, Nicole took her phone and began texting.  
  
NH : It's late, but I worry. Are you OK ? Did you get arrested ?  
  
…  
  
…  
  
_She's in the slammer. Or perhaps she's asleep. Or she doesn't want to answer. She doesn't want to answer me anymore. Why would she want to answer me ? I failed to defend her against her boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend. Or perhaps they're back together after the fight. Oh no. No, no, no. Or it's Gus, she doesn't like me and told Waverly to stop seeing me. Or it's Wynonna. No it's Waverly. My stetson was a faux pas. I brought the wrong fruits to the picnic._  
  
The redhead tried to stop her thoughts for a second.  
  
_The wrong fruits ? You're coming unglued, Haught !_  
  
As Nicole was reaching gloomy conclusions about her mental state, the phone pinged and a reply appeared.  
  
WE : In my bed but awake. Had just turned off light. Very OK not in jail.  
  
NH : Sorry to disturb you.  
  
WE : Not sorry to be disturbed by you. I only got questions from sheriff. Told him it was you started the fight.  
  
_What ? Waverly did say what ?_  
  
WE : Kidding. Just kidding. I offered muffins. Got off scot-free.  
  
NH : Shame ! Shame !  
  
WE : Me bribing the sheriff or me pranking you ?  
  
NH : Both. Especially you pranking me. Truth is I'm relieved. Goodnight Waverly.  
  
WE : Goodnight Nicole.  
  
Nicole went to the ablution block to get prepared for the night, beaming. Smiling even as she was brushing her teeth. Smiling as she stopped a few minutes near the tables outside Doll's kitchen, looking at the starry sky for a few minutes before saying goodnight to the diggers that sat there enjoying a few beers, and off she went back in her room.  
  
As she put her phone to charge up, she read again the messages. _Goodnight Nicole…_ She turned off the light and let her mind drift into dreams where Waverly's real voice whispered those words in her ear in the dark.  
  
  
  
The following morning, the first thing she did was to reread once more the SMSs. She had it bad indeed. The redhead could picture Waverly's face as she was typing that she had incriminated Nicole. Crinkled eyes forming dark half-moons above a wide, mischievous smile. If she wanted to tease, Nicole had to find a way to show her that two could play this game…  
  
There was of course the delicate problem of how much Nicole should wait that day before she could text Waverly again without blowing her cover (The Concerned Friend) and revealing herself as The Hopeless Admirer. She got ready for her morning run and made it a littler faster than usual, to exert herself out of her sentimental uncertainties.  
  
Upon her return, the camp's life distracted her as she went into the restaurant building, where food and beverages were at the diggers' disposal in the morning. She wolfed down her breakfast before going under the shower's meager and tepid spray.  
  
The first incident of the day happened right as the diggers were heading towards the excavation. Lucado's lemon of a car, although it had been able to get her to the camp from whatever place she was now in residence in Purgatory, wouldn't go further up the road. The boss was ready to call for a repair shop when Rosita Bustillos stepped up to the plate and rummaged for a few minutes under the car's hood.  
  
Rosita soon declared that the trouble was the distributor and that the part was all she needed to get the car back on the road. She quickly disassembled the faulty piece and wrote down the specs for getting a new one.  
  
That was Nicole's cue to begin to do her job. She took her phone and texted Waverly, asking for help. Did she know someone, somewhere, to get auto parts quickly ? After about twenty minutes, she had a call from Gus, who told her, with her usual jaded voice, to turn to a man named Juan Carlo, owner of the Ectoplasma Auto Shop, that Gus described as "the least dishonest mechanic in the area". Nicole loved that aspect of her work, resolving problems on the phone. She was in her element.  
  
The redhead was on the excavation site since a good hour and a half when said Juan Carlo finally decided to answer his phone, and told her that she wouldn't get this distributor anywhere near Purgatory, but that he could get it from Big City "probably" on the next day. OK, then.  
  
Nicole had just got promoted, she was now officially Professor Lucado's driver for today and tomorrow, "probably". She was annoyed but happy, or happy to be annoyed : she now had an opportunity to get in touch with Waverly and a reason to thank her. She would drive to Purgatory at the end of the day, she had to drive Lucado home. And on the way back…  
  
On the way back, Nicole made a stop at Shorty's.  
  
Rosita had come with her in Nicole's station wagon, as they escorted Professor Lucado back at the incredible place she had found in a derelict farm. She now rented the upper floor of a barn, hastily transformed into a sort of rural loft, with a charming upper view of the pigsty. Lucado hadn't seemed eager to keep them in her company any longer that strictly necessary, visibly mortified to reveal her sordid sleeping quarters.  
  
"Well look who's here," Gus exclaimed as the two archaeologists came into the saloon.  
  
_Me, ready to have my feelings trampled on,_ Nicole mused. _You must like it, Haught, since you come back again and again._ She knew she should stay away from that Waverly Earp, for self-preservation. _But this is better than deciding not to see her anymore._  
  
All of the tall redhead's negativity disappeared when she saw Waverly coming close. She wore her working attire, a Shorty's top and a very hugging pair of jeans. She had her hair in a long braid that hung over her left shoulder. And she smiled at Nicole. And Nicole felt all her wariness being dispelled by the radiant brunette's presence.  
  
All that Nicole needed was her daily dose of Waverly, after all. _Who, me, doctor ? Addicted ?_  
  
While Nicole and Rosita were having a beer at the counter, they had the opportunity to express their gratitude to both Gus and her niece for their help about Lucado's car. Waverly announced she was going to bake a huge batch of banana muffins on the next day, and suggested she could drive to the camp to offer some, and sell some more. The wide grins and frantic nods of both Rosita and Nicole were enough of a yes to her proposal.  
  
On the drive back to the camp, Rosita decided to put her foot in it.  
  
"So do you think you can get her ?" she asked calmly.  
  
"No… It's a bad idea anyhow," Nicole answered, not even bothering to pretend she didn't know who her passenger was talking about.  
  
"Look at the fool she was dating… Perhaps you stand a chance," Rosita argued.  
  
"Looking at the fool, I notice he's a guy."  
  
"You could be a pleasant change. Even if she's clearly out of your league," Rosita shot back.  
  
"Thank you so much for your support, Rosita," Nicole answered, turning briefly her eyes from the road. "You like to get straight to the point, don't you ?"  
  
"Yes, that's why I've got few friends."  
  
  
  
  
On the next day, Nicole spent her morning driving back and forth. Her early run was replaced by a drive to Professor Lucado's lodging, that Rosita had decided to nickname the Hog-Gazebo Farm on their way back the previous night. Rosita was blunt, but funny and resourceful. Nicole recalled Doc had told her she would come to that conclusion. Rosita was pretty, too, let's say attractive, even, and it made the redhead feel a bit uneasy to realize that she wasn't attracted, in fact.  
  
Nicole was aware that Waverly was becoming an obsession. The revelation at Shorty's of the bartender's past as a high school cheerleader had not been helpful at all, and thoughts about her lithe body doing flips in a miniskirt had since fueled many ruminations. Right now, among the diggers scraping the soil, she was musing on the mix of beauty and intelligence she had found in the charming young woman.  
  
And her aptitude for street fighting was a plus that rocked Nicole's Lust-o-Meter even more that she cared to admit.  
  
A bit later, Juan Carlo called her from his garage to say the distributor they needed had been just delivered, and she drove to Purgatory with Rosita to get it. It took them a good hour to get there and drive back. Lucado's car was repaired at the end of the lunchtime, much to the professor's satisfaction.  
  
The afternoon dragged. Nicole was waiting for news from Waverly, news that didn't come. But as the whole diggers team reached the camp back from the excavation, she saw the Purgatorian waiting for them with Dolls. She was tapping fingers on a big cardboard box. _The muffins._ As she got out of her car, Nicole made an effort to first get a few diggers to help her take about twenty plastic crates out of her trunk. Objects and odd bits of materials needing to be processed and held in store. No she didn't feel the urge to walk to Waverly. Not at all.  
  
_You're so obvious. Look at the others, do they waste their time ?_ Nicole reflected as she watched from afar the other permanent members of the dig rushing the brunette like a pack of wolves. A pack of wolves looking for banana muffins. Barefaced greed ! Nicole was indeed feeling very proud of her self-control. Jeremy was grabbing other diggers to get them to taste the muffins.  
  
When finally Nicole came nearer, Waverly embraced her in an earnest hug just as the redhead was hesitating to cross the last feet between them. Just as they parted, the small woman snatched Nicole's stetson hat, _again,_ and danced to a distance as she put it on. The camp manager felt a sudden urge to chase Waverly, but what would she do when she would seize her ?  
  
"How are your sales so far ?" Nicole chose to ask instead, carefully not to disclose the pang of desire she felt running through her whole body.  
  
"Hey, not bad. And I get in touch with a whole bunch of new customers, here," the brunette shot back. "Don't worry, there are still some I kept for you. How have you been since yesterday, Nicole ?"  
  
Even hearing Waverly say her name was putting the tall redhead in a romantic haze. "Today was alright. What about you, Waverly ?" Nicole asked in return. Both women began to stroll around the camp.  
  
"Peachy, everything is just peachy. Even more young male customers than before. I didn't realize there were so many lonely hearts around Purgatory. Shorty and Gus told me I shouldn't work tomorrow night, as they put it Saturday nights are rowdy enough, I think they fear an excess production of testosterone. Yesterday they told me to go upstairs quite early, I just couldn't work normally."  
  
"Well you can spend the evening here tomorrow," Nicole heard herself utter. _To Haught, from brain ! What did you just say ? Just act like you didn't and hope she misunderstood !_  
  
"Here ? Tomorrow night ?" Waverly asked. _Brain here : OK, she understood perfectly. Now you must bite the bullet._  
  
"The camp will be quiet, most of the diggers will leave for the weekend. And we can spend some time… we could watch some movies… " Nicole trailed off.  
  
"Yes, you mean like some old movies, Nicole ?" the brunette asked, and she beamed when Nicole nodded assent. "Great ! Anyhow it's better if I leave not only the bar but my apartment too. Do you know Champ came to see me last night ?"  
  
"What ? He didn't hurt you, did he ? What did he do ?" Nicole prompted.  
  
"Oh no. He came to serenade me," Waverly clarified, rolling her eyes. "From outside. He parked in the back of Shorty's, he wanted to do it like in Say Anything, you know the boombox scene, but it was a bluetooth speaker."  
  
"Was he wearing a coat ?" Nicole enquired, raising a brow.  
  
"Oh, he never paid attention to details like this." Waverly said.  
  
"I suppose he wasn't playing this old Peter Gabriel song either, was he ?"  
  
"I don't know…" Waverly said, looking up at Nicole with a impish grin. "It's supposed to be the song they heard when they first made love, but our first time was… a bit improvised… at a party. Please don't judge me ! I just remember it was shitty music." She paused. "However, I do remember Champ's first performance, and it was over in mere seconds. So his song yesterday night was probably just a very short jingle, or a sample that he had to play on repeat."  
  
"You didn't hear it… " Nicole concluded.  
  
"I was working out, listening to disco," she said, blushing, "perhaps I could have heard him if he had used a gong or a church bell…"  
  
"If I want to woo you, I'll keep in mind to bring some of those," Nicole interjected.  
  
"What ?" Waverly asked, confused.  
  
"No, nothing, er… please go on Waverly,"  Nicole answered quickly.  
  
"He was drunk, of course he was, and he climbed on the roof of his pickup to be closer from my window. Champ was parked right against our dumpster, and well… he fell into it. He got lucky because Shorty found him, he got out of the kitchen to smoke a cigarette. I only realized what was happening when I saw the lights outside, I mean from the ambulance Shorty had to call. He would have broken his neck if the dumpster hadn't been here, or if it had been empty. He was already on the gurney when I looked. Gus asked a friend of her at the hospital today, he just spent the night there and went home with a few bruises, apparently."  
  
"Didn't he come back to get his car ?"  
  
"No, Shorty's clever ! He drove Champ's pickup to the hospital last night after closing time, and Gus took him back. But I wonder what will be Champ's next great idea…"  
  
As they were walking around the corner of the ablution block, they stopped at an unexpected sight. Doc and Rosita were assembling some light wooden beam structure.  
  
"Working when it's already the weekend ? I suppose it's some of your special projects, Doc ?" Nicole asked, taking in what looked like the skeleton of a garden shed. On the ground, she spotted the rolls of plastic sheeting that her enigmatic coworker had insisted on buying when they had made their trip to the hardware stores.  
  
"Indeed it is. We are assembling what was clearly missing hitherto in this otherwise charming camp, and a well arranged one, I have to say, Nicole…" Doc said,  staring at the tall woman with his blue eyes wide open and an easy smile. "Behold our future steam room. Many groups of the First Nations used steam bath for hygienic as well as ritual purposes, and I wanted to build one since so long I can't remember."  
  
"Two words, Doc : fire hazard," Nicole shot back. "I don't want a live fire in a wooden building here, sorry."  
  
"That's why we will produce steam in a small metallic box well outside the steam room, connected with heat resistant hoses. Auto parts I found in the junk yard," Rosita interjected, obviously very proud of herself and looking squarely at Nicole's hat on Waverly's head.  
  
"Ah… You got this covered of course… Well…" Nicole said, seeing nothing more to object.  
  
"We designed it big enough to accommodate two people comfortably," Doc chimed in.  
  
"Or three if you don't mind being a little cramped…" Rosita mused.  
  
Nicole just couldn't dare to look at Waverly right now. The image of both of them in a cloud of hot steam had made her stop dead in her tracks. And Doc was looking at her, smirking, clearly enjoying Nicole's confusion.  
  
"It's a healthy way to clean oneself, and an economic one. And it's even better if you add essential oils. It's a fascinating historical experiment, too !" Doc felt obliged to add thoughtfully.  
  
"Well, go on then. It'll probably be useful for the camp," Nicole said, trying hard to sound matter-of-fact and turning around slowly to go back towards the kitchen. "Are you coming, Waverly ?"  
  
"Some say it's best to immediately get a massage afterwards," she heard Doc yell in her back as she retreated. Right at this moment Waverly caught her foot on something and almost tripped, but luckily she didn't loose her balance completely.  
  
The redhead was raking her brain to find some new topic for the conversation, but it's Waverly that provided one.  
  
"Soo… Roller derby, is it, Nicole ? I did some research since you talked about this. Last Wheel is a cool nickname…" she begun.  
  
"Yeah, some people told me to choose Ginger Hell, but I wanted my name to still make sense if I changed my hair color," Nicole explained.  
  
"You have beautiful hair !" Waverly blurted. They went on walking in silence for a few seconds. Nicole regretted she had spilled the beans about her passion for roller derby. That could lead to the discovery of certain videos where she was seen showcasing a viciousness she didn't have outside the track.  
  
But still…  
  
"Do you know how to skate, Waverly ?"  
  
  
  



End file.
